Is patulin harmful to humans?

Is patulin harmful to humans?

The acute symptoms in animals include liver, spleen and kidney damage and toxicity to the immune system. For humans, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances and vomiting have been reported. Patulin is considered to be genotoxic however a carcinogenic potential has not been demonstrated yet.

What are the effects of patulin?

For humans, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, and vomiting have been reported. The chronic symptoms include genotoxic, neurotoxic, immune-toxic, immunosuppressive, and teratogenic effects. The IARC has classified patulin as category 3, not classifiable regarding its carcinogenicity to humans.

What type of hazard is a mycotoxin such as patulin?

Thus, patulin must be considered a potential health hazard. The fact that patulin can be produced by a number of penicillia at refrigeration temperatures is a source of possible concern.

Can you taste patulin?

You cannot see or smell or taste the toxin, so it is not possible to know if it is present without laboratory testing. Patulin has been shown to cause serious illness in animals and humans, especially to the nervous systems and might cause problems with blood flow, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms.

Is patulin an aflatoxin?

The most widely spread classes of mycotoxins: patulin (produced from Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Byssochlamys molds), aflatoxins (produced from several species of Aspergillus molds), ochratoxin A (produced from Penicillium and Aspergillus molds), zearelenona, trichothecenes, and fumonisins (all produced from Fusarium …

Is patulin a good antibiotic?

While not a particularly potent toxin, patulin is genotoxic. Some theorize that it may be a carcinogen, although animal studies have remained inconclusive. Patulin has shown antimicrobial properties against some microorganisms.

How long do mycotoxins stay in air?

The EC3 Candles whose mechanism is to aerosolize the citrus extracts into the air as they burn, were found to decrease known concentrations of mycotoxins in the air at 500 and 1000 parts per billion by 90% in 3 hours burn time. Mycotoxins in the 250 parts per billion range were completely eliminated in 3 hours.

How does Apple Juice control patulin?

Various methods are currently used to reduce the levels of patulin in apple juice, namely, charcoal treatment, chemical preservation (sulfur dioxide), gamma irradiation, fermentation, and trimming of fungus-infected apples.

What is patulin used for?

Uses. Patulin was originally used as an antibiotic against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, but after several toxicity reports, it is no longer used for that purpose. Isolated by Nancy Atkinson in 1943, it was specifically trialed to be used against the common cold.

What is patulin in apple juice?

Patulin is a toxin produced by a number of different moulds such as Penicillium and Aspergillus. It can be found in damaged or mouldy fruits, particularly apples. If contaminated apples are used to make juices, high levels of patulin are likely to be carried through to the final product.

Are mycotoxins destroyed by cooking?

１ Mycotoxins are resistant to heat Mycotoxins cannot be completely destroyed under normal cooking temperatures (100 to 210° C) and times (under 60 minutes).

What is patulin and why is it dangerous?

Patulin is of some public health concern because of its potential carcinogenic properties, and because it has been found in commercial apple juice and other apple products. Patulin appears to be unstable in grains, cured meats, and cheese.

Is patulin an immunosuppressant?

Patulin is also an immunosuppressive agent that inhibits multiple aspects of macrophage function. Patulin is a cyclic γ-lactone mycotoxin found in fruits, particularly moldy apples and apple juice.

What is patulin and what foods contain it?

Patulin can be contained in apple juice, apples sauce, apple puree, baby food and apple cider. In many countries, there are restrictions for patulin in apple products. In November 2003, the EU specified the following limit values for patulin in food:

Is patulin a group 3 carcinogen?

WHO concluded that patulin is genotoxic based on variable genotoxicity data, however it is considered a group 3 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), since data was inconclusive.