Production of citreoviridin by Penicillium citreonigrum strains associated with rice consumption and Beriberi cases in the Maranhão State, Brazil

C.A.R. ROSA; K.M. KELLER; A.A. OLIVEIRA; T.X. ALMEIDA; L.A.M. KELLER; A.C. MARASSI; C.D. KRUGER; M.V. DEVEZA; B.S. MONTEIRO; L.M.T. NUNES; A. ASTORECA; L.R. CAVAGLIERI; G.M. DIREITO; E.C. EIFERT; T.A.S. LIMA; K.G. MODERNELL; F.I.B. NUNES; A. M. GARCIA; M.S. LUZ; D.C.N. OLIVEIRA

FOOD ADDITIVES AND CONTAMINANTS

Taylor and Francis

Lugar: Inglaterra; Año: 2010 vol. 27 p. 241 - 248

0265-203X

The aim of this study was to determine P. citreonigrum and citreoviridin levels present in rice samples from Maranhão State, Brazil, where an outbreak of Beriberi was described and 32 deaths occurred. Besides, the P. citreonigrum citreoviridin production ability was evaluated. A total of 420 samples of 21 different kinds of rice were collected. Seven percent of the notified cases died in 2006. Mycobiota isolation, and identification, citreoviridin strains production ability and natural occurrence of citreoviridin were determined. Rice samples exhibited high fungal counts and showed increasing values from 2004 to 2007 years of harvest. The most frequent genus was Aspergillus followed by Penicillium and Cladosporium. Ten out of 11 strains of P. citreonigrum were able to produce citreoviridin. Three rice samples had levels ranging from 12 to 96.7 ng/g, whereas two bran samples had 128 and 254 ng/g. These samples contaminated by P. citreonigrum and citreoviridin were involved in the beriberi cases from Maranhao State of Brazil. Monitoring rice for mycotoxins in areas where this substrate is the basic food is crucial to prevent outbreaks like the one presented in this study, to improve management practices and to diminish exposure risk of humans to these harmful toxins.