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Quantification of Fungal Colonization, Sporogenesis, and Production of Mycotoxins Using Kernel Bioassays
Published on: April 23, 2012
Deoxynivalenol (DON) in raw and cooked Pasta
I Bockhorn1, A Bockhorn, S Pohler
1SOFIA GmbH, Rudower Chaussee 29, D-12489, Berlin, ibockhorn@sofia-gmbh.de.
Mycotoxin Research
|April 23, 2013
Summary
Most raw pasta samples had low Deoxynivalenol (DON) levels, but cooking significantly reduced DON contamination by 60-80% in ready-to-eat pasta and cooking water.
Area of Science:
- Food safety and toxicology
- Mycotoxin analysis
- Agricultural science
Background:
- Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a prevalent mycotoxin found in cereal grains.
- Pasta is a staple food, making its contamination with DON a public health concern.
- Assessing DON levels in both raw and cooked pasta is crucial for consumer exposure evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify Deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination in commercially available raw pasta samples.
- To determine DON levels in cooked pasta and associated cooking water to assess consumer exposure.
- To evaluate the impact of cooking on DON reduction in pasta.
Main Methods:
- Procurement of 29 pasta samples from Berlin retail outlets in April-May 2001.
- Analysis of DON content in raw pasta, cooked pasta, and cooking water.
- Quantification using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detection (HPLC-DAD).
- Confirmatory analysis via Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) after derivatization.
Main Results:
- 90% of raw pasta samples contained less than 0.5 mg DON/kg.
- Three out of 29 raw samples exceeded this limit, with levels up to 0.84 mg/kg.
- Cooking reduced DON levels by 60-80% in the final ready-to-eat pasta product.
- Significant DON reduction was also observed in the cooking water.
Conclusions:
- Commercial pasta samples showed varying levels of Deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination.
- Cooking significantly mitigates DON exposure from pasta consumption.
- The study highlights the importance of considering food preparation methods in mycotoxin risk assessment.
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