Between October and December, the dried fig industry experiences its peak sales season, leading to high trading volumes and increased demand for food safety testing. This time of year also comes with the challenge of ensuring that dried figs meet the necessary food safety standards. The primary focus of testing during this period is often the presence of harmful substances like sulfites and mycotoxins, particularly aflatoxins and ochratoxin A, which are regulated at very low levels in food products.
The Role of Sulfites and Mycotoxins in Dried Figs
Sulfites are commonly used in the dried fruit industry to maintain colour, extend shelf life, and prevent microbial growth (Weil et al. 2006; Kirschner 2006). While sulfites are essential for preserving the quality of dried figs, they don’t address the more pressing issue of mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by moulds that can contaminate dried fruits, including figs. Two of the most concerning mycotoxins found in dried figs are aflatoxins and ochratoxin A, both of which are highly toxic and pose significant health risks to consumers.
Mycotoxins, especially the highly toxic aflatoxins and ochratoxin A occur in dried fruits with significant prevalence and make it essential to be part of the food safety testing strategies. Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A are regulated at very low levels and exceedance of these limits leads to trade bans, product recall and border rejection. Thus the quality of the products is tested to comply with the food safety regulation.
Mycotoxin Contamination: A Seasonal Concern
In the time from the 1st of October to the 1st of December 2024, 75 notifications regarding mycotoxins in dried fruits occur. Interestingly the occurrence of due to mycotoxin contamination banned during the rest of the year is not similar, even focusing on the two-month interval from October to December the rate of incidence is tripled!
100% of all “fruit and vegetables” incidents in the European food safety database were found to be correlated to figs.
Does This Mean a Higher Prevalence or Trading of Lower Quality?
The higher seasonal demand in trading increased the total number of unsafe figs. The food safety testings regarding aflatoxins B/G, ochratoxin A and other residues like high levels of sulfite are necessary tools. Seasonal increases in trading activity, the seasonal occurrence of mycotoxins or the impact of climate/weather on mycotoxin occurrence make the testing for mycotoxin a critical part of global food safety and peaks during this time for figs and other commodities which are traded depending on seasonal demands. Automation of food testing allows fast, unattended sample preparation and consequent analysis of foodstuff to improve quality and reduce the risk of not complying with food safety regulations.
Improving Mycotoxin Testing through Cleanup Technologies
Several companies provide fast cleanup technologies, sample cleanup robotics and high-quality cleanup consumables to comply with all food safety regulations. LCTech provides tools like robotic devices (FREESTYLE ThermELUTE) for fast, highly sensitive testing. Along with consumables like OtaCLEAN SMART or AflaCLEAN SMART, these technologies allow for quick sample cleanup and subsequent analysis by HPLC fluorescence or LC-MS/MS in less than 20 minutes. This enables figs to taste sweet without worries about mycotoxins during the dried figs season.
If both toxins are of interest a combined cleanup using the Afla-OtaCLEAN could save time and money, as both toxins are purified by the specific antibodies for aflatoxins and ochratoxin A at once.
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