ABSTRACT
This chapter provides state-of-the-art overviews on foodborne diseases caused by ochratoxins in relation to their etiology, biology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Biosynthetically, Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a pentaketide derived from the dihydrocoumarins family coupled to β-phenylalanine. OTA is a highly abundant food contaminant in intermediate and low moisture foods. Therefore, dietary exposure to OTA represents a serious threat to human health. OTA is a mycotoxin produced by the secondary metabolism of some filamentous fungi. Ochratoxigenic molds are able to grow on heterogeneous substrates, with an equally diverse nutrient composition. The carbon source affects OTA production in a greater extent than the nitrogen source. Oral exposure to OTA induces renal damage in single-stomach animals, and even in young ruminants functioning as single-stomach animals. Oxidative dechlorination by peroxidases would result in OTA-quinone or OTA-hydroquinone formation, but only trace amounts of OTA-hydroquinone have been reported.
