Title

Detection of Ochratoxin A in Maize and Its Potential Impact on Avian Pathology in Romanian Farms.

Authors

Beia, Silviu-Ionut; Ion, Violeta Alexandra; Gagniuc, Elvira; Bujor, Oana-Crina; Ivan, Elena Ştefania; Barbu, Andreea; Pitoiu, Elena; Beia, Violeta Elena; Bădulescu, Liliana

Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a nephrotoxic mycotoxin that commonly contaminates maize, posing significant health risks to both poultry and humans. In this study, a rapid and sensitive method utilizing ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection (UPLC-FLD) was developed for the quantification of OTA levels in maize. The method utilizes immunoaffinity column purification for improved specificity. Accuracy and precision were validated in line with European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL-MP) guidelines, meeting regulatory standards for linearity, trueness, detection and quantification limits, precision, and uncertainty, as per European Commission Regulation (EC) No. 401/2006 and its amendments. The method demonstrated an average recovery rate of 116.78% for maize, with RSDwR values (within-laboratory reproducibility) of 12.72%. Furthermore, OTA occurrence and its possible effects were investigated in several farms in South Romania, where necropsy and histopathological analyses of poultry revealed severe kidney damage, including renal tubular degeneration.

Subjects

LIQUID chromatography; CORN; DETECTION limit; MYCOTOXINS; AUTOPSY

Publication

Life (2075-1729), 2024, Vol 14, Issue 11, p1477

ISSN

2075-1729

Publication type

Academic Journal

DOI

10.3390/life14111477