Articles
Alternaria toxins in processed tomato products: diffusion ability and behavior during industrial processing
Article number
1445_32
Pages
227 – 263
Language
English
Abstract
Processing tomatoes can be subjected to spoilage by a wide range of filamentous fungi.
Among their associated mycobiota, Alternaria is a real matter of concern to tomato processors, due to its ability to produce several toxic metabolites such as tenuazonic acid (TEA), alternariol (AOH) and its monometylic ether (AME). Such molecules are unluckily found in finished products, the control measures applied in the tomato process being apparently ineffective in reducing them.
Therefore, this work was aimed to assess if Alternaria toxins’ occurrence could be explained considering a “hidden” contamination of the raw materials or a possible resistance of the toxins to the thermal treatments applied.
The “hidden” contamination was checked by means of a diffusion test that was carried out on tomatoes by inoculating apical berries with fungal suspensions of different toxigenic Alternaria SSICA strains, incubated at 25°C up to ten days.
The results showed that a limited diffusion of the toxins occurred only in the berries close to the inoculated one.
The heat-resistance of the three above-mentioned toxins was assessed in tomato juice, puree and paste by means of heat treatments at 95°C up to 240 min.
All toxins proved to be partially reduced, even if their decimal reduction times (D95) proved higher than 250 min in all tested tomato products.
Lastly, the fate of the three above-mentioned toxins was also assessed during pilot plant processing by using naturally contaminated industrial berries as raw material to be processed into tomato puree.
The quantification of TEA, AOH and AME toxins was carried out by means of UHPLC-HRMS/MS.
Among their associated mycobiota, Alternaria is a real matter of concern to tomato processors, due to its ability to produce several toxic metabolites such as tenuazonic acid (TEA), alternariol (AOH) and its monometylic ether (AME). Such molecules are unluckily found in finished products, the control measures applied in the tomato process being apparently ineffective in reducing them.
Therefore, this work was aimed to assess if Alternaria toxins’ occurrence could be explained considering a “hidden” contamination of the raw materials or a possible resistance of the toxins to the thermal treatments applied.
The “hidden” contamination was checked by means of a diffusion test that was carried out on tomatoes by inoculating apical berries with fungal suspensions of different toxigenic Alternaria SSICA strains, incubated at 25°C up to ten days.
The results showed that a limited diffusion of the toxins occurred only in the berries close to the inoculated one.
The heat-resistance of the three above-mentioned toxins was assessed in tomato juice, puree and paste by means of heat treatments at 95°C up to 240 min.
All toxins proved to be partially reduced, even if their decimal reduction times (D95) proved higher than 250 min in all tested tomato products.
Lastly, the fate of the three above-mentioned toxins was also assessed during pilot plant processing by using naturally contaminated industrial berries as raw material to be processed into tomato puree.
The quantification of TEA, AOH and AME toxins was carried out by means of UHPLC-HRMS/MS.
Authors
E. Berni, E. Cocconi, L. Sandei
Keywords
tenuazonic acid, Alternariol, Alternariol monometyl-ether, tomato products, processing effect, heat treatment
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