Ochratoxin A in traditional dry-cured meat products produced from sub-chronic-exposed pigs

Abstract

The presence of ochratoxin A (OTA) was determined in traditional dry-cured meat products made from sub-chronically OTA-exposed pigs. The experimental group of pigs (n = 5) was treated with 300 µg OTA kg^–1 of feed during 30 days, whereas the control group (n = 5) remained untreated. After the household production of six types of dry-cured meat products based on traditional recipes, OTA residues were determined in final products produced from each treated and untreated animal using an immunoenzymatic technique (ELISA) and HPLC with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FD). The analytical methods showed acceptable analytical performance results and high correlation coefficients. Mean OTA concentrations ranged from 4.51  ±  0.11 µg kg^–1 in smoked ham to 6.87  ±  2.01 µg kg^–1 in home-made Slavonian sausage. The study demonstrated that pig exposure to OTA leads to the accumulation of OTA residues in muscle and adipose tissue used for the production, and consequently results in contamination of the final meat products.

Keywords:

• ochratoxin A
• traditional meat products
• swine
• chronic exposure
• ELISA
• HPLC-FD

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank our colleague Dr Dinka Milić, GM of the Dubravica Swine Farm, for the performance of the animal experiment.