Exposure to Phosphates and Nitrites through Meat Products: Estimation of the Potential Risk to Pregnant Women.

Diet during pregnancy is one of the most important nutritional challenges associated with some risks for the mother and the fetus. For the first time, the study aims to estimate long-term (2018-2022) exposure to nitrate and phosphates in Serbian pregnant women, based on individual consumption data and accurate values measured in frequently consumed meat products. For this purpose, seven types of meat products, consisting of 3047 and 1943 samples, were collected from retail markets across Serbia, to analyze nitrites and phosphorus content, respectively. These data were combined with meat product consumption data from the Serbian National Food Consumption Survey to assess dietary intake of nitrites and phosphate. The results were compared with the acceptable daily intake (ADI) proposed by the European Food Safety Authority. The average dietary exposure (EDI) to phosphorus ranged from 0.733 mg/kg bw/day (liver sausage and pate) to 2.441 mg/kg bw/day (finely minced cooked sausages). Considering nitrite intake, the major sources were bacon (0.030 mg/kg bw/day) and coarsely minced cooked sausages (0.0189 mg/kg bw/day). In our study, average nitrite and phosphorus exposure in the Serbian pregnant women population are far below the EFSA recommendations (ADI 0.07 mg/kg bw/day and 40 mg/kg bw/day, respectively).

The Intake of Phosphorus and Nitrites through Meat Products: A Health Risk Assessment of Children Aged 1 to 9 Years Old in Serbia.

This study provides the data on dietary exposure of Serbian children to nitrites and phosphorus from meat products by combining individual consumption data with available analytical data of meat products. A total of 2603 and 1900 commercially available meat products were categorized into seven groups and analysed for nitrite and phosphorous content. The highest mean levels of nitrite content, expressed as NaNO2, were found in finely minced cooked sausages (40.25 ± 20.37 mg/kg), followed by canned meat (34.95 ± 22.12 mg/kg) and coarsely minced cooked sausages (32.85 ± 23.25 mg/kg). The EDI (estimated daily intake) of nitrites from meat products, calculated from a National Food Consumption Survey in 576 children aged 1-9 years, indicated that the Serbian children population exceeded the nitrite ADI (acceptable daily intake) proposed by EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) in 6.4% of children, with a higher proportion in 1-3-year-old participants. The mean phosphorus concentration varied from 2.71 ± 1.05 g/kg to 6.12 ± 1.33 g/kg in liver sausage and pate and smoked meat products, respectively. The EDI of phosphorus from meat products was far below the ADI proposed by EFSA, indicating that the use of phosphorus additives in Serbian meat products is generally in line with legislation.

Efficacy of a Modified Clinoptilolite Based Adsorbent in Reducing Detrimental Effects of Ochratoxin A in Laying Hens.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of modified clinoptilolite (Minazel Plus®, MZ) as a mycotoxin adsorbent for preventing the negative the effects of ochratoxin A (OTA) on performance, pathohistological changes, and OTA residue in the eggs of laying hens. METHODS: Forty eight (n = 48) laying hens (27 weeks old) were equally divided into six groups and depending on the type of addition were allocated to the following experimental treatments for 7 weeks: E-I group-1 mg/kg OTA; E-II group 0.25 mg/kg OTA; E-III group 1 mg/kg OTA + 0.2% of MZ; E-IV group 0.25 mg/kg OTA + 0.2% of MZ; MZ group supplemented with 0.2% of the adsorbent; and control (K, without feed additive). RESULTS: Overall, the addition of 0.2% MZ to laying hen feed mitigated the harmful effects of OTA on target organs and reduced the presence of OTA residue in eggs. The groups that received 0.2% of MZ achieved better production results in terms of body weight, number of eggs, and feed consumption, compared to the other treatments. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings confirm the efficacy of MZ in preventing performance losses in laying hens exposed to OTA, as well as for improving the welfare and health of food producing animals.

Comparative investigation of the efficacy of three different adsorbents against OTA-induced toxicity in broiler chickens.

The aim of our study was to determine the efficacy of three different adsorbents, inorganic (modified zeolite), organic (esterified glucomannans) and mixed (inorganic and organic components, with the addition of enzymes), in protecting broilers from the toxic effects of ochratoxin A in feed. Broilers were fed diets containing 2 mg/kg of ochratoxin A (OTA) and supplemented with adsorbents at the recommended concentration of 2 g/kg for 21 days. The presence of OTA led to a notable reduction in body weight, lower weight gain, increased feed conversion and induced histopathological changes in the liver and kidneys. The presence of inorganic, organic and mixed adsorbents in contaminated feed only partially reduced the negative effects of OTA on the broiler performances. Broilers that were fed with adsorbent-supplemented feed reached higher body weight (17.96%, 19.09% and 13.59%), compared to the group that received only OTA. The presence of adsorbents partially alleviated the reduction in feed consumption (22.68%, 12.91% and 10.59%), and a similar effect was observed with feed conversion. The applied adsorbents have also reduced the intensity of histopathological changes caused by OTA; however, they were not able to prevent their onset. After the withdrawal of the toxin and adsorbents from the feed (21-42 days), all previously observed disturbances in broilers were reduced, but more remarkably in broilers fed with adsorbents.