Bioaccumulation Of Microcystins In Lettuce

Author(s)

Hereman, Talita Caroline ^{[1, 2]} ; Bittencourt-Oliveira, Maria do Carmo ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Biol Sci, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[2] Sao Paulo State Univ, Inst Biol Sci, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY; v. 48, n. 6, p. 1535-1537, DEC 2012.
• Web of Science Citations: 26

Abstract

The contamination of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) by water-borne crude extracts of the cyanobacterium microcystin-producing Microcystis aeruginosa (Kutzing) Kutzing was investigated. The aim of the study was to determine whether bioaccumulation of microcystins occurs in lettuce foliar tissue when sprayed with solutions containing microcystins at concentrations observed in aquatic systems (0.62 to 12.5 mu g center dot L-1). Microcystins were found in lettuce foliar tissues (8.31 to 177.8 mu g per Kg of fresh weight) at all concentrations of crude extracts. Spraying with water containing microcystins and cyanobacteria may contaminate lettuce at levels higher than the daily intake of microcystins recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), underscoring the need to monitor such food exposure pathways by public authorities. (AU)