A new study in Toxins (Basel) led by Vlachou and colleagues used HPLC with fluorescence detection to measure ochratoxin A (OTA) — a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium molds — across kidney, liver, muscle, and fat samples from pigs raised in Greece. Detectable OTA was found across multiple tissue types, with the highest concentrations clustering in organs associated with detoxification, consistent with prior work showing the kidney as a primary OTA accumulation site.
The findings reinforce that mycotoxin exposure is not limited to visibly contaminated grains. When livestock consume feed contaminated by mold, residues can carry forward into commonly eaten cuts of meat, contributing to a chronic, low-dose dietary load that regulators in the EU have flagged for years. The authors call for continued surveillance and tighter feed controls to keep OTA levels within established food safety thresholds.