Ochratoxin A in cereals, foodstuffs and human plasma

Aspergillus and Penicillium fungi contaminate cereals and foodstuffs, and can thus introduce ochratoxin A (OTA) into the food chain. In this work, five new isolates of Aspergillus: A. albertensis,A. auricomus,A. wend!,A. fumigatus and A. versicolor; were found to produce ochratoxin A. Data on the occurrence and the concentration levels of ochratoxin A in European food of vegetable and animal origin are reported. Furthermore, data on the concentration of ochratoxin A in blood of citizens of Western Europe are compared with those of sonic areas where Balkan endemic nephropathy is endemic. The results of the studies of Stoev and co-workers are reviewed and the possibility that OTA alone cannot be the cause of the Balkan endemic nephropathy is discussed.