Number 28 May 1994
MAFF UK - SURVEILLANCE OF UK CEREALS FOR OCHRATOXIN A
Index to MAFF UK Food Surveillance Information
Sheets, 1994
see also:
48: MAFF UK - Surveillance of UK
Cereals for Ochratoxin A (January 1995)
73: MAFF UK - Surveillance of
Ochratoxin A in Retail Coffee Products (September 1995)
80: MAFF UK - Surveillance
of Ochratoxin A in Green (Unroasted) Coffee Beans (March 1996)
95: MAFF UK - Ochratoxin A in
Cereals and Flour, and Carry-Over Into Retail Processed Foods (October
1996)
130: MAFF UK - Survey of
Aflatoxins and Ochratoxin A in Cereals and Retail Products (November
1997)
171: MAFF UK - Survey of
Ochratoxin A in Grain Traded by Central Depots 1997-1998 (February 1999)
172: MAFF UK - A Survey of Human
Exposure to Ochratoxin A (April 1999)
185: MAFF UK - 1998 Survey of
Retail Products for Ochratoxin A (August 1999)
192: MAFF UK - Survey for
Aflatoxins, Ochratoxin A, Fumonisins and Zearalenone in Raw Maize
Background
The presence of ochratoxin A (OA) in cereals infected by Aspergillus
and Penicillium species has been reported in many countries
including the UK. Aspergillus and Penicillium mould species can produce OA
in stored wheat over a wide range of temperatures when moisture content is
in excess of 15 percent. In the 1985 harvest, three out of ten samples of
wheat were naturally contaminated with OA at concentrations of 10, 30 and
1900 µg/kg after storage for 18 weeks at 20·C and 20 percent
moisture content. Recent surveillance of OA in the UK found widespread but
low level contamination (1 µg/kg) of cereals and pork products, but
some samples (three out of 248) contained concentrations of >10µg/kg.
Following the advice from the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in
Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT), that ochratoxin A
should be considered a genotoxic carcinogen, the Food Advisory Committee
(FAC) recommended that industry should develop procedures to reduce levels
in cereals to the lowest technologically achievable.
The European Community intends to set limits for some mycotoxins in food
and the expected proposal for OA in cereals is 5 µg/kg. MAFF needs to
generate data to determine whether UK cereals can comply with this limit.
Hence a two phase survey has been set up in co-operation with the Home
Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA) to provide data for MAFF to assess the
significance of the levels of OA normally present in UK produced cereals.
In the first phase of the survey carried out in 1993, samples of wheat and
barley from the 1992 harvest obtained from UK intervention stores were
also included in the surveillance programme. Samples are accepted for
storage between November and May but there is a possibility of OA
production prior to acceptance from the time of harvest onwards. Samples
of wheat purchased by UK millers between September and November 1993 were
therefore included in the survey.
Results
The samples were analysed by the Flour, Milling and Baking Research
Association (FMBRA) by an HPLC method with fluorescence detection,
following clean-up by OA specific immunoaffinity columns. Results for the
first phase of the survey are presented in Table
1. A total of 611 cereal samples were analysed for OA and most
samples (609) did not contain OA at concentrations above 1 µg/kg.
Ochratoxin A was not detected in 384 samples of wheat at harvest from the
1993 crop, nor in 25 samples of wheat and 73 samples of barley, both
stored since 1992. Of the 129 samples of wheat sampled in November, only
two have been found to contain OA at concentrations above 1µg/kg.
Both these samples were found to contain OA at 15µg/kg.
Interpretation
The results from the first phase of the survey are reassuring as
ochratoxin A does not appear to be prevalent in UK produced cereals.
Contact Point
Further information can be obtained from:
Dr Martin Slayne
MAFF, Joint Food Safety and Standards Group
Food Contaminants Division
Room 207 Ergon House,
c/o Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR
Tel: +44 (0)20 7238 6222
Fax: +44 (0)20 7238 6591
Return to Index to Surveillance Information Sheets, 1994 page
Go to top of page
These pages were last updated on 1 October 1996
