[Occurrence and analysis of the mycotoxin emodin]

Besides other mould species, Aspergillus wentii Wehmer is assumed to form the hydroxyanthraquinone derivative emodin which has toxic and gene mutagenic properties. As a pectinase producer this fungus is used for the industrial isolation of pectinolytic enzymes for the food industry so that a contamination of such preparations by emodin cannot be excluded. However, preliminary thin-layer chromatographic studies of extracts of the corresponding pectinolytic enzyme preparations and Aspergillus wentii Wehmer did not point to a detectable toxin formation or contamination (the limit of detection lay at 5 mg emodin/kg substrate or 0.3 mg emodin/kg enzyme).