Assessment of the concentrations of ochratoxin A, zearalenone, and deoxynivalenol during cracker production

Flour samples spiked with ochratoxin A (OTA) (3,10 and 20 μg kg–1), zearalenone (ZEA) (75, 100, and 200 μg kg–1), and deoxynivalenol (DON) (500, 750, and 1000 μg kg–1), and combined mycotoxins (OTA, ZEA and DON at 20, 200 and 1000 μg kg–1) were split into two parts, one used immediately for cracker production, and the other kept at −80 °C for 18 h before the manufacture of crackers. The changes in mycotoxin concentrations in the control flour (without any mycotoxins), spiked flour, dough, and cracker samples produced from the normal and frozen flours were assessed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography. The reduction during fermentation ranked as OTA (21.16–25.92%) > DON (18.08–9.29%) > ZEA (0.02–7.01%), while during baking an increase in OTA (22.56–24.96%) and DON (11.80–21.9%) in contrast with a reduction in ZEA (1.07–3.28%) was noted. The thermal process used in the cracker production and the fermentation procedure used in dough preparation caused a significant decrease in the DON and ZEA concentrations in the final cracker products. The freezing of flour can be introduced as a new method to reduce the contamination by mycotoxins of cereal-based products.