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. 2024 Nov 20;16(11):499.
doi: 10.3390/toxins16110499.

Mycotoxin Prevalence and Microbiological Characteristics of Locally Produced Elected Freekeh Products

Samer Mudalal  1
Affiliations

Mycotoxin Prevalence and Microbiological Characteristics of Locally Produced Elected Freekeh Products

Samer Mudalal. Toxins (Basel). .

Abstract

Freekeh is produced from roasted, immature wheat grains. It is very popular in Middle Eastern and North African nations. This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of different types of mycotoxins, physical impurities, and microbiological contamination in local freekeh products. Lateral flow competitive immunochromatographic assay was used to evaluate the occurrence of mycotoxins. It was found that physical impurities for some tested products exceeded the permitted limit (>2% of straw and foreign grains). Moreover, our findings showed that total aerobic bacterial and fungal counts in Freekeh products varied from 1 to 4 logs and from 1.39 to 4.3 logs, respectively. The incidence ranges of aflatoxins and ochratoxin were 3.17-3.33 ppb and 4.63-8.17 ppb, respectively. The levels of deoxynivalenol (DON) and T2/HT2 (trichothecene T2 and deacetylated form HT2) were less than the limit of detection. More than 78% of Freekeh samples tested had aflatoxin and ochratoxin contents higher than the limit permitted by the European Commission (4 and 5 ppb). In conclusion, gaining knowledge about the quality, safety, and labeling of freekeh products can help increase their commercial potential. Further investigations are needed to evaluate the factors affecting contamination levels within the freekeh supply chain.

Keywords: freekeh; microbiological; mycotoxins; physical impurities.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 4
Figure 4
Flowchart procedure for the determination of physical impurities (stones, soils, insects, other grains, etc.).
Figure 1
Figure 1
The occurrence of zearalenone (ppb) in freekeh products collected from different local commercial sources.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The occurrence of Ochratoxin (ppb) in freekeh products collected from different local commercial sources. The horizontal line is the permitted level according to the EU.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The occurrence of aflatoxins (ppb) in freekeh products collected from different local commercial sources. The horizontal line is the permitted level according to the EU.
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