Mycotoxin co-occurrence in rice, oat flakes and wheat noodles used as staple foods in Ecuador.

The co-occurrence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1) and G2 (AFG2), ochratoxin A (OTA), deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisin B1 (FB1), zearalenone (ZEN), and HT-2 and T-2 toxins in the main Ecuadorian staple cereals (rice, oat flakes, and yellow and white wheat noodles) was evaluated. A ultra high performance liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/TOFMS) method was developed and validated to screen for the presence of these mycotoxins in those cereal matrices. Matrix-matched calibration curves were used to compensate for ion suppression and extraction losses and the recovery values were in agreement with the minimum requirements of Regulation 401/2006/EC (70-110%). For most mycotoxins, the LODs obtained allowed detection in compliance with the maximum permitted levels set in Regulation EC/2006/1881, with the exception of OTA in all cereals and AFB1 in yellow noodles. Extra target analysis of OTA in oat flakes and wheat noodles was performed by HPLC with fluorescence detection. High rates of contamination were observed in paddy rice (23% DON, 23% FB1, 7% AFB1, 2% AFG1 and 2% AFG2), white wheat noodles (33% DON and 5% OTA) and oat flakes (17% DON, 2% OTA and 2% AFB1), whereas the rates of contamination were lower in polished rice (2% AFG1 and 4% HT-2 toxin) and yellow noodles (5% DON). Low rates of co-occurrence of several mycotoxins were observed only for white wheat noodles (5%) and paddy rice (7%). White noodles were contaminated with DON and/or OTA, while combinations of AFG1, AFB1, DON and FB1 were found in paddy rice. Yellow noodles were contaminated with DON only; oat flakes contained DON, OTA or AFB1, and polished rice was contaminated with AFG1 and HT-2 toxin.

Shifts in comparative advantages for maize, oat and wheat cropping under climate change in Europe.

Climate change is anticipated to affect European agriculture, including the risk of emerging or re-emerging feed and food hazards. Indirectly, climate change may influence such hazards (e.g. the occurrence of mycotoxins) due to geographic shifts in the distribution of major cereal cropping systems and the consequences this may have for crop rotations. This paper analyses the impact of climate on cropping shares of maize, oat and wheat on a 50-km square grid across Europe (45-65°N) and provides model-based estimates of the changes in cropping shares in response to changes in temperature and precipitation as projected for the time period around 2040 by two regional climate models (RCM) with a moderate and a strong climate change signal, respectively. The projected cropping shares are based on the output from the two RCMs and on algorithms derived for the relation between meteorological data and observed cropping shares of maize, oat and wheat. The observed cropping shares show a south-to-north gradient, where maize had its maximum at 45-55°N, oat had its maximum at 55-65°N, and wheat was more evenly distributed along the latitudes in Europe. Under the projected climate changes, there was a general increase in maize cropping shares, whereas for oat no areas showed distinct increases. For wheat, the projected changes indicated a tendency towards higher cropping shares in the northern parts and lower cropping shares in the southern parts of the study area. The present modelling approach represents a simplification of factors determining the distribution of cereal crops, and also some uncertainties in the data basis were apparent. A promising way of future model improvement could be through a systematic analysis and inclusion of other variables, such as key soil properties and socio-economic conditions, influencing the comparative advantages of specific crops.

New series for agricultural prices in London, 1770­1914.

New annual series for the prices of major agricultural commodities sold in London markets between 1770 and 1914 are presented. These series are based on bimonthly observations drawn from newspaper market reports. The products covered are wheat, barley (grinding and malting), oats, potatoes, hay, butter, beef, mutton, and pork. Annual prices are calculated for both calendar and production years. The new series are compared to existing series.

Alchemy in eden: entrepreneurialism, branding, and food marketing in the United States, 1880­1920.

Through an investigation into the origins of American food marketing, this dissertation reveals how branding­specifically, the centennial brands Quaker Oats, Coca-Cola, and Crisco­came to underpin much of today's market-driven economy. In a manner akin to alchemy, the entrepreneurs behind these three firms recognized the inherent value of an agricultural Eden, then found ways to convert common, low-cost agricultural goods­oats, sugar, and cottonseed oil­into appealing, high-revenue branded food products. In the process, these ventures devised new demand-driven business models that exploited technology and communications advances, enabling them to tap a nascent consumer culture. Their pioneering efforts generated unprecedented profits, laid the foundation for iconic billion-dollar brands, and fundamentally changed how Americans make daily food choices.

[Comparative studies of oat cultivars from Southern Brazil: effect of grain morphology on industrial yield]. / Estudo comparativo de cultivares de aveia (Avena sativa L.) do sul do Brasil: efeito da morfologia do grão no rendimento industrial.

The purpose of this work was to study the effect of grain morphology of oats on their industrial yield. The five cultivars studied: CTC3, UFRGS7, UFRGS14, UPF7 and UPF16 were grown in three localities with different soil and climate conditions, for two consecutive years. The parameters evaluated in the oat samples before and after dehulling were grain size and shape (by image analysis), comparing them to industrial yield, weight of a thousand kernels and hectoliter weight. The results showed that image analysis of oat samples (with hulls), does not have any relation to industrial yield, different from what was observed with groat samples (dehulled). Industrial yield varied according to genotype, locality and year, while area, minimum and maximum diameters and grain shape were only affected by the genetic factor. It was observed that longer grains (UPF16) had the highest industrial yield, differently to rounder and shorter grains (UFRGS14) which had a lower yield due to the ease of breakage during hulling; the smallest grains also gave a low industrial yield.

Estudo comparativo de cultivares de aveia (Avena sativa L. ) do sul do Brasil: efeito da morfologia do grão no rendimento industrial / Comparative studies of oat cultivars from Southern Brazil: effect of grain morphology on industrial yield

The purpose of this work was to study the effect of grain morphology of oats on their industrial yield. The five cultivars studied: CTC3, UFRGS7, UFRGS14, UPF7 and UPF16 were grown in three localities with different soil and climate conditions, for two consecutive years. The parameters evaluated in the oat samples before and after dehulling were grain size and shape (by image analysis), comparing them to industrial yield, weight of a thousand kernels and hectoliter weight. The results showed that image analysis of oat samples (with hulls), does not have any relation to industrial yield, different from what was observed with groat samples (dehulled). Industrial yield varied according to genotype, locality and year, while area, minimum and maximum diameters and grain shape were only affected by the genetic factor. It was observed that longer grains (UPF16) had the highest industrial yield, differently to rounder and shorter grains (UFRGS14) which had a lower yield due to the ease of breakage during hulling; the smallest grains also gave a low industrial yield