m ycotoxicology r esearch g roup

Dr Hanneke Alberts

The main thrust of the Mycotoxicology focus area is assessing and reducing exposure of particularly rural subsistence communities to mycotoxins produced by toxigenic food-borne fungi. The aim is to protect populations in South Africa from the impact of dietary exposure to mycotoxins.

Investigations in the former Transkei region of the Eastern Cape Province have revealed high incidence levels of the fungus Fusarium verticillioides and the carcinogenic fumonisin mycotoxins in home-grown maize, which is the staple diet of people at high risk for developing oesophageal cancer.

The goal of the focus area is mainly accomplished by studies towards identification and toxin profiling of the main food-borne pathogenic fungi presenting a threat to human health; elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of mycotoxin biosynthesis; development of analytical methods for fungal and mycotoxin determination as well as biomarkers to quantify human exposure to mycotoxins; toxicological mechanisms of food-borne mycotoxins; biologically-based methods for reduction and detoxification of mycotoxins; and field studies assessing risk and reducing mycotoxin exposure in affected rural subsistence communities.

the Bill and Melinda Gates meeting on Aflatoxin control measures: A basis for improved health in developing countries, at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.

• Dr H-M Burger was invited to act as mycotoxin consultant on a project for Cultivate Africa’s Future (CultiAF) titled Postharvest management technologies for reducing aflatoxin contamination in maize grain and human exposure in Zimbabwe.

• Material transfer and confidentiality and nondisclosure agreement documents between Dr JF Alberts (on behalf of IBMB) and BIOMIN, Austria, were finalised for a collaborative project titled Enzymatic maize kernel-wash method.

• Dr JP Rheeder and Dr JF Alberts undertook a field study in the Eastern Cape to collect maize samples in the Centane and King William’s Town districts as part of a Maize Trust funded consortium project on Surveillance of Fusarium species and mycotoxins in the Eastern Cape.

• Discussions took place with universities and the industry with regard to the following collaborative projects:

- Enzymatic methods for detoxification of the fumonisins in maize (a leading grain-based South African manufacturing company)

- Maize Trust funded collaborative projects

- Common research areas and future exchange programmes for students and researchers (University of Paris, Paris-Est Créteil, France).

• Prof WCA Gelderblom was honoured by being elected as Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences.

• Prof GS Shephard received an award from the World Mycotoxin Forum for his many years of service to the forum.

Highlights for 2014

• Prof WCA Gelderblom, Prof GS Shephard and Dr H-M Burger were invited to participate in

- Dietary multi-mycotoxin exposure among infants (0-24 months) from maize subsistence farming areas in Centane in the Eastern Cape (School of Physiology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University)

• Dr H-M Burger, Dr JF Alberts and Dr JP Rheeder acted as supervisors for the science projects of seven learners from the Centre of Science and Technology (COSAT) in Khayelitsha, aimed at participation in the annual Eskom Expo for Young Scientists.

Conference papers

Alberts JF

Biologically based methods for control of Fusarium growth and the fumonisin mycotoxins, Fusarium Discussion Group Workshop, ARC-PPRI, Vredenburg Research Centre, Stellenbosch, 9 September 2014

Alberts JF, Van Zyl WH & Gelderblom WCA

Biologically based approaches for reduction of fumonisin mycotoxin exposure in rural South Africa, Nutrition Congress 2014, Johannesburg, 16-19 September 2014

Gelderblom W

Perspectives on the Institute of Biomedical & Microbial Biotechnology, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Gelderblom WCA, Burger H-M, Shephard GS & Alberts JF

Mycotoxin risk assessment: The other side of food security, U6 Conference, Cape Town, 8-10 September 2014

Gwashu A

Activity of rooibos flavonoids in the prevention of skin carcinogenesis, Diabetes Discovery Platform Research Symposium, Cape Town, 10 November 2014

Palmer Z, Le Roes-Hill M, Isaacs S, Kirby B & Welz PJ

Response of microbial communities to synthetic winery wastewater in sand bioreactors, 36th South African Society for Enology and Viticulture Conference, Somerset West, 12-14 November 2014

Rheeder JP

The influence of climate change on Fusarium plant diseases and the related mycotoxin risks,

Fusarium Discussion Group Workshop: ARC-PPRI, Stellenbosch, 9 September 2014

Rheeder JP

New perspectives on global warming and food security, Food Innovation Symposium, Cape Town, 17 September 2014

Shephard GS

Prevention strategies and HACCP plans for mycotoxins in food safety, ISM: Detection Techniques for Mycotoxins in the Food and Feed Chain, Bari, Italy, 6-10 October 2014

Shephard GS

Rapid testing and regulating for mycotoxin concerns: A perspective from Africa, 17th International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) World Congress, Montreal, 16 August 2014

Shephard GS, Burger H-M, Gambacorta L, Gong YY, Krska R, Rheeder JP, Solfrizzo M, Srey C, Sulyok M, Visconti A, Warth B & Van der Westhuizen L

Measuring mycotoxin exposure in a South African rural community, International Mycotoxin Conference, Beijing, 19-23 May 2014

Shephard GS & Gelderblom WCA

Rapid testing and regulating for mycotoxin control: A perspective from Africa, 8th World Mycotoxin Forum, Vienna, 10-12 November 2014

Welz PJ, Palmer Z, Isaacs S, Kirby B & Le Roes-Hill M

The effect of redox status on the bacterial community structure and biodegradation rate of organic fractions of agri-industrial effluent in sand bioreactors, 9th International Water Association International Symposium on Waste Management Problems in Agro-Industries, Kochi, Japan, 24-26 November 2014

Conference posters

Abel S, Abrahams C, De Kock M & Gelderblom WCA

Alterations in PUFA profile and oxidative status in liver and colon carcinogenesis, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Abel S, Arendse LA & Gelderblom WCA

Conjugated linoleic acid isomers as anticancer bioactive compounds, 25th Congress of the Nutrition Society of South Africa, Johannesburg, 16-19 September 2014

Abel S, Gelderblom WCA, Abrahams C & De Kock M

Alterations in PUFA profile and oxidative status in liver and colon carcinogenesis, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Abel S, Gelderblom WCA, Arendse LA, De Kock M, Sasanti B & Muller CJC

Conjugated linoleic acid isomers as anticancer bioactive compounds, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Abel S, Sasanti B, Arendse LA, Muller CJC, De Kock M & Gelderblom WCA

Conjugated linoleic acid isomers as anticancer bioactive compounds, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Alberts JF & Van Zyl WH & Gelderblom WCA

Biologically based methods for reduction of fumonisin mycotoxins in grain crops, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Burger H-M, Lombard MJ, Danster-Christians N, Shephard GS & Gelderblom WCA

Development and evaluations of a sensitive mycotoxin risk assessment model (mycoram), CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Durrell K, Kirby B, Kudanga T & Le Roes-Hill M

Genome mining: Determining the antimicrobial biosynthetic potential of Streptomyces pharetrae sp. strain cza14, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Khan N, Le Roes-Hill M & Pletschke B

The potential of apple processing solid wastes for the generation of value-added products, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Kudanga T, Kleinsmidt L, Mbulawa S, Prins A, Pleiss J & Le Roes-Hill M

Small laccase (SLAC) and SLAC mutants as biocatalysts for the synthesis of potent antioxidants, 7th International Congress on Biocatalysis, Hamburg, Germany, 31 August-4 September 2014

Kudanga T, Le Roes-Hill M & Welz P

Chemical characterisation of South African peat sample, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Le Roes-Hill M, Khan N, Musengi A & Kudanga T

Oxidative enzymes from actinomycetes: An overlooked resource for biocatalysis, 17th International Symposium on the Biology of Actinomycetes (ISBA17), Kusadasi, Turkey, 7-12 October 2014

Marnewick JL, Venter I, Rautenbach F, Neethling H & Kotze M

Rooibos: Effect on iron status in South Africa adults at risk for coronary heart disease, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Mbulawa S, Prins A, Kudanga T & Le Roes-Hill M

Small laccase (slac) and slac mutants as biocatalysts for the synthesis of potent antioxidants, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Mngqawa P, Ngobeni SH, Green IR, Shephard GS & Katerere DR

Aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination of maize grown by subsistence farmers in northern rural South Africa (Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces), CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Ngemakwe PHN, Le Roes-Hill M & Jideani VA

Effects of carboxymethylcellulose, yoghurt and transglutaminase on textural properties of oat bread, 17th International Union of Food Science and Technology World Congress, Montreal, Canada, 17-21 August 2014

Ngemakwe PHN, Le Roes-Hill M & Jideani VA

Effects of yeast, carboxymethylcellulose, yoghurt, transglutaminase and cyclodextrinase on pasting, thermal and protein modification properties of oat dough, Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Conference, New Orleans, LA, 22-24 June 2014

Prins A, Khan N, Kirby B, Kudanga T, Pleiss J & Le Roes-Hill M

The effect of mutations near the T1 copper site on the biochemical characteristics of the small laccase from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2), CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Rheeder JP, Imrie G, Shephard GS & Van der Westhuizen L

Fumonisin levels and Fusarium species in maize collected from rural areas in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Rohland J, Marnewick J & Le Roes-Hill M

A novel biomaterial design to incorporate antioxidant and antibacterial activity, using a novel streptomycete tyrosinase, 17th International Symposium on the Biology of Actinomycetes, Kusadasi, Turkey, 7-12 October 2014

Smith I, Haldenwang R, Le Roes-Hill M, Terblanche G, Weels S & Welz PJ

Hydraulic properties of different sand types used in the design of sand bioreactors for the treatment of winery effluent, 36th South African Society for Enology and Viticulture Conference, Somerset West, 12-14 November 2014

Van der Westhuizen L, Shephard GS, Burger H-M, Rheeder JP, Gelderblom WCA, Wild CP & Gong YY

Culturally acceptable intervention method reduced fumonisin exposure in maize subsistence farmers of the Eastern Cape, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Weels S, Le Roes-Hill M & Welz P

Determining antimicrobial properties of phenolics detected in peat samples, CPUT Research Day, 27 November 2014

Weels S, Terblanche G, Le Roes-Hill M & Welz PJ

Comparison of two local sand types for the bioremediation of synthetic winery effluent, 36th South African Society for Enology and Viticulture Conference, Somerset West, 12-14 November 2014

journal articles (DHET subsidised)

Abel S, Riedel S & Gelderblom WCA

Fatty acids and health and disease: Dietary PUFA and cancer

Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 73:361-367, 2014

Acero EH, Kudanga T, Ortner A, Kaluzna I, De Wildeman S, Nyanhongo GS & Guebitz GM

Laccase functionalization of flax and coconut fibers Polymers, 6:1674-1684, 2014

Burger HM, Lombard MJ, Shephard GS, Danster-Christians NA & Gelderblom WCA

Development and evaluation of a sensitive Mycotoxin Risk Assessment Model (MYCORAM) Toxicological Sciences, 141(2):387-397, 2014

Everest GJ, Le Roes-Hill M, Rohland J, Enslin S & Meyers PR

Amycolatopsis roodepoortensis sp. nov. and Amycolatopsis speibonae sp. nov.: Antibioticproducing actinobacteria isolated from South Africa soils

Journal of Antibiotics, 67:813-818, 2014

Gavezzotti P, Vavrikova E, Valentova K, Fronza G, Kudanga T, Kuzma M, Riva S, Biedermann D & Kren V

Enzymatic oxidative dimerization of silymarin flavonolignans

Journal of Molecular Catalysis B-Enzymatic, 109(2014):24-30, 2014

Kudanga T & Le Roes-Hill M

Laccase applications in biofuels production: Current status and future prospects

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 98:6525-6542, 2014

Musengi A, Khan N, Le Roes-Hill M, Pletschke BI & Burton SG

Increasing the scale of peroxidase production by Streptomyces sp. strain BSII#1

Journal of Applied Microbiology, 116:554-562, 2014

Nkomo M, Katerere D, Vismer HF, Cruz T, Balayssac S, Malet-Martino M & Makunga NP

Fusarium inhibition by wild populations of the medicinal plant Salvia africana-lutea L. linked to metabolomic profiling

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 14(99):1-9, 2014

Ramond J-B, Welz PJ, Le Roes-Hill M, Tuffin M, Burton SG & Cowan DA

Selection of Clostridium spp. in biological sand filters neutralizing synthetic acid mine drainage

FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 87:678-690, 2013

Shephard GS & Gelderblom WCA

Rapid testing and regulating for mycotoxin concerns: A perspective from developing countries

World Mycotoxin Journal, 7(4):431-437, 2014

Welz PJ, Burton SG, Le Roes-Hill M, Ramond JB & Cowan DA

Minor differences in sand physicochemistry lead to major differences in bacterial community structure and function after exposure to synthetic acid mine drainage

Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering, 19:211-220, 2014

Welz PJ, Esterhuysen A, Vulindlu M & Bezuidenhout C

Filament identification and dominance of Eikelboom Type 0092 in activated sludge from wastewater treatment facilities in Cape Town, South Africa

Water SA, 40(4):649-658, 2014

Welz PJ, Palmer Z, Isaacs S, Kirby B & Le Roes-Hill M

Analysis of substrate degradation, metabolite formation and microbial community responses in sand bioreactors treating winery wastewater: A comparative study

Journal of Environmental Management, 145(2014):147-156, 2014

journal articles (not DHET subsidised)

Kamika I, Mngqawa P, Rheeder JP, Teffo SL & Katerere DR

Mycological and aflatoxin contamination of peanuts sold at markets in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Pretoria, South Africa

Food Additives and Contaminants Part B, 7(2):120-126, 2014

Muller C & Abel S

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)

The Dairy Mail, pp 54-61, April 2014

Mupunga I, Lebelo SL, Mngqawa P, Rheeder JP & Katerere DR

Natural occurrence of aflatoxins in peanuts and peanut butter from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Journal of Food Protection, 77:1814-1818, 2014

Welz PJ & Le Roes-Hill M

Biodegradation of organics and accumulation of metabolites in biological sand filters used for the treatment of synthetic winery wastewater

Journal of Water Process Engineering 3C:155163, 2014

Technical reports

Abel S

Establishing endpoints to evaluate the modulating effect of specific n-6/n-3 FA ratios on colon cancer development in an animal model and colon cancer in humans, CANSA Report, July 2014

Alberts JF

Enzymatic method for detoxification of fumonisins in maize, Maize Trust Project MTM 13/04 Report, August 2014

Gelderblom WCA

Annual progress report: Incentive funding for rated researchers, March 2013

Gelderblom WCA & Riedel S

Chemopreventive potential of Rooibos in skin carcinogenesis, CANSA Report, March 2014

Rheeder JP & Van der Westhuizen L

Multi-mycotoxin and mycological surveillance of small-holder farmers in four maize-growing provinces in South Africa, Maize Trust Project 12/01 Report, August 2014

Vismer HF

Annual progress report: Incentive funding for rated researchers, March 2013

Postgraduate degree

obtained by a staff member

MSc (Chemistry)

University of the Western Cape Mngqawa P

Preliminary investigation of the natural contamination of agricultural crops with selected mycotoxins in northern rural South Africa (Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces)

Office of the Deputy v ice-Chancellor: Knowledge & i nformation Technology Services ( Ki TS )

Prof Louis Fourie

Research Output

Conference papers

Budree A & Fourie LCH

Towards a conceptual model to assess the factors impacting the non-financial value of business intelligence, International Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems (ICSIS 2014), Dubai, 17-18 October 2014

Fourie LCH

CPUT fast forward: The role of ICT, 4th Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference, Cape Town, 5 November 2014

Fourie LCH

Cybercrime: There is no escape, IFR Annual Conference, Pretoria, 23-24 October 2014

Fourie LCH

ICT and outsourcing, Vlerick MBA Alumni Symposium, Cape Town, 11 November 2014

Fourie LCH

A journey of paradoxes, ASAUDIT Spring Conference, Cape Town, 22-23 October 2014 fouriel@cput.ac.za

Fourie LCH

Social media and your organisation, Professional Development Symposium, Bloemfontein, 14 February 2014

Fourie LCH

The South African political and economic context, Labour Symposium, Cape Town, 9 June 2014

Fourie LCH

The value of concept maps in agile knowledge management, 6th International Conference on Concept Mapping, Santos, Brazil, 23-25 September 2014

Technical report

Fourie LCH

The Tanzania Knowledge Network for Development Policy (TZ-CLK-net), Harare: ACBF, 2014