Fungi and toxins in rice: occurrence and its significance to public health

• Grant number: 14/07498-7
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: July 01, 2014 - December 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal researcher: Marta Hiromi Taniwaki
• Grantee: Marta Hiromi Taniwaki
• Home Institution: Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos (ITAL). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Assoc. researchers: Beatriz Thie Iamanaka ; Maria Helena Pelegrinelli Fungaro

Abstract

Rice is one of the most consumed cereal in Brazil and the world. The country stands as the ninth largest producer. Due to the high impact on rice consumption in population, studies of rice quality and safety are of great importance. Rice is an excellent substrate for mycotoxin production and when the toxigenic fungi have conditions to grow and produce toxins, they will produce in high amounts. Although the presence of mycotoxins in rice is not common, reports on some mycotoxins and a beriberi outbreak was, recently, correlated to rice consumption. Mycotoxins such as citreoviridin and aflatoxins were found in Brazilian rice samples. However, the data are still scarce and analysis of toxigenic fungi is need to understand the origin of these toxins. Therefore, this project aims to investigate the occurrence of toxigenic fungi, mainly producers of citreoviridin and aflatoxins in rice, using appropriate methodologies for their isolation, identification, toxin production, and the presence of these toxins in rice. Moreover, it will be checked for the presence of these toxins in rice fractions (husk, polished rice, bran) and determined the effect of cooking rice in the destruction of these toxins. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

KATSURAYAMA, ALINE M.; MARTINS, LIGIA M.; IAMANAKA, BEATRIZ T.; FUNGARO, MARIA HELENA P.; SILVA, JOSUE J.; PITT, I, JOHN; FRISVAD, JENS C.; TANIWAKI, MARTA H. Fungal communities in rice cultivated in different Brazilian agroclimatic zones: From field to market. FOOD MICROBIOLOGY, v. 87, MAY 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.

KATSURAYAMA, ALINE M.; MARTINS, LIGIA M.; IAMANAKA, BEATRIZ T.; FUNGARO, MARIA HELENA P.; SILVA, JOSUE J.; FRISVAD, JENS C.; PITT, JOHN I.; TANIWAKI, MARTA H. Occurrence of Aspergillus section Flavi and aflatoxins in Brazilian rice: From field to market. International Journal of Food Microbiology, v. 266, p. 213-221, FEB 2 2016. Web of Science Citations: 13.