The study of mycotoxins contamination in recycled waste bread in two municipal areas in Tehran, Iran

Background: Many species of sustainable mycotoxin-producing fungi are considered as dangerous agents for humans. Bread is one of the materials exposed to fungal infection and molds are amongst the most important pollutant microbial and chemical mycotoxin-producing agents of bread. In this study, the microbial and chemical contamination of recycled waste breads and the types of produced mycotoxins at two areas of Tehran municipality, Iran, were investigated. Methods: Using fungal culture media, twenty samples of waste bread were analyzed for microbial contaminations. To recognize contamination to mycotoxins, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method and fuorescence detector (FLD) were used. Findings: All but one sample were contaminated to mold infections such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, and yeasts including Geotricum candidum, Candidia albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Eight samples were contaminated to aflatoxins, ochratoxin A and deoxynivalenol, whereas none of them showed contamination with zearalenone. Conclusion: The results indicated that presence of microbial and toxic contamination in bread waste is inevitable, which is harmful for human health. The sanitary control of food waste to reduce or eliminate microbial hazards in food recycling is necessary.