EU deals with combating food contamination risks
Characterising the carcinogenic action of OTA formed part of the EU's LIFE QUALITY programme in an effort to ascertain the potential risks of OTA to consumers worldwide. Project partners analysed a series of cell types with respect to their reaction to OTA and produced a series of results regarding OTA-DNA interactions. Researchers at the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse studied OTA in conjunction with a variety of cell types. The toxin was shown to interact and bond with DNA molecules and in pigs it was also shown to affect the expression of specific 'defence' proteins such as COX-1. The link between OTA and cancer could therefore be attributed to this dual mode of action. Different studies have proposed alternate mechanisms of action for OTA, leading to tumour formation without the presence of OTA-DNA complexes. Further testing is needed therefore in order to establish whether the toxin exhibits a variety of behaviours thus increasing even further its potential risk for consumers. Creating a robust methodology for the detection, measure and long-term monitoring of OTA in the human food chain could prove the only way to minimise the risk posed by OTA. Contributing to the continuation of this line of research could prove beneficial on a financial and a social scale, affecting both the food industry at many levels and the society at large.
