Comprehensive Insights into Ochratoxin A: Prevalence, and Regulatory Frameworks in the Maghreb Region

Noureddine Bouras¹, Slim Smaoui², Mohamed Guerfali³, Ali Atoui⁴, Sherif S Ebada⁵, Diyar Salahuddin Ali⁶, Qun Wu⁷, Amin Mousavi Khaneghah⁸

Affiliations

¹ Laboratoire de Valorisation et Conservation des Ecosystèmes Arides (LVCEA), Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie et Sciences de la Terre, Université de Ghardaia, B.P. 455, Ghardaïa, Algeria; Laboratoire de Biologie des Systèmes Microbiens (LBSM), Ecole Normale Supérieure de Kouba, Algiers, 16308, Algeria.
² Laboratory of Microbial and Enzymes Biotechnology and Biomolecules (LMEBB), Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax (CBS), University of Sfax-Tunisia, Road of Sidi Mansour Km 6, P. O. Box 1177, 3018, Sfax, Tunisia.
³ Laboratory of Molecular Biotechnology of Eukaryotes, LMBE, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax (CBS), P.O. Box 1177, TN-3038, Sfax, Tunisia.
⁴ Research Laboratory of Microbiology (RLM), Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences I, Lebanese University, Hadat Campus, Beirut, Lebanon.
⁵ Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, 11566 Cairo, Egypt.
⁶ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Iraq; Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Knowledge University, Erbil, Iraq.
⁷ Lab of Brewing Microbiology and Applied Enzymology, Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China.
⁸ Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil; Faculty of Biotechnologies (BioTech), ITMO University, 191002, 9 Lomonosova Street, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Electronic address: mousavi.amin@gmail.com.

PMID: 41177469
DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108642

Review

Comprehensive Insights into Ochratoxin A: Prevalence, and Regulatory Frameworks in the Maghreb Region

Noureddine Bouras et al. Toxicon. 2025.

. 2025 Oct 31:108642.

doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108642. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Noureddine Bouras¹, Slim Smaoui², Mohamed Guerfali³, Ali Atoui⁴, Sherif S Ebada⁵, Diyar Salahuddin Ali⁶, Qun Wu⁷, Amin Mousavi Khaneghah⁸

Affiliations

¹ Laboratoire de Valorisation et Conservation des Ecosystèmes Arides (LVCEA), Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie et Sciences de la Terre, Université de Ghardaia, B.P. 455, Ghardaïa, Algeria; Laboratoire de Biologie des Systèmes Microbiens (LBSM), Ecole Normale Supérieure de Kouba, Algiers, 16308, Algeria.
² Laboratory of Microbial and Enzymes Biotechnology and Biomolecules (LMEBB), Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax (CBS), University of Sfax-Tunisia, Road of Sidi Mansour Km 6, P. O. Box 1177, 3018, Sfax, Tunisia.
³ Laboratory of Molecular Biotechnology of Eukaryotes, LMBE, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax (CBS), P.O. Box 1177, TN-3038, Sfax, Tunisia.
⁴ Research Laboratory of Microbiology (RLM), Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences I, Lebanese University, Hadat Campus, Beirut, Lebanon.
⁵ Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, 11566 Cairo, Egypt.
⁶ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Iraq; Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Knowledge University, Erbil, Iraq.
⁷ Lab of Brewing Microbiology and Applied Enzymology, Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China.
⁸ Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil; Faculty of Biotechnologies (BioTech), ITMO University, 191002, 9 Lomonosova Street, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Electronic address: mousavi.amin@gmail.com.

PMID: 41177469
DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108642

Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a thermostable mycotoxin mainly produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium species, and is recognized for its nephrotoxic, immunosuppressive, carcinogenic, and teratogenic effects. These fungi frequently contaminate food and feed, with climatic conditions and inadequate storage or production practices contributing to the occurrence of OTA, particularly in the Maghreb region. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of OTA contamination levels in food and feed products from Maghreb countries. Ochratoxigenic Aspergillus species reported in the region are mainly affiliated with the Circumdati, Nigri, and Flavi sections, while Penicillium species are less frequently encountered. Furthermore, the review highlights analytical methods for OTA detection and examines existing legislative measures, underscoring their role in protecting public health. The primary objective is to consolidate existing data from the Maghreb to provide an integrative perspective on OTA prevalence, detection methods, and regulatory frameworks.

Keywords: Bioanalytical chemistry; Food and feed contamination; Maghreb countries; Ochratoxin A; Regulatory standards.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest ☒ The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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Comprehensive Insights into Ochratoxin A: Prevalence, and Regulatory Frameworks in the Maghreb Region

Affiliations

Comprehensive Insights into Ochratoxin A: Prevalence, and Regulatory Frameworks in the Maghreb Region

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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