Emerging risk of infestation and contamination of dried fruits by mites in the Czech Republic

Jan Hubert (1) , Vaclav Stejskal (2) , Tomas Erban (2) , Marta Nesvorna (2)

1 Stored Product Pests Control and Food safety
2 Stored Product Pest Control and Food safety

The introduction of live insects into human food has been rare in developed countries. This work documents, for the first time, an emerging risk that exists from dried fruit in Central Europe. Recently, massive and frequent infestation of dried fruit imported from the Mediterranean region by the mite Carpoglpyhus lactis L. (Acarina: Carpoglyphidae) has been found. In 180 analyzed samples taken from supermarkets, 13% were contaminated; the contamination levels ranged from 0 to 660 mites per g of dried fruit. The contamination was found in dried apricots, figs, plums and raisins. To estimate the risks and food preferences of C. lactis, its growth rate was examined under laboratory conditions. Starting with a hypothetical population of 10 mites per g of dried fruit, the risk level of 1,000 mites per g of dried fruit is reached at 42 days for dried figs, 49 days for dried pineapple and 63 days for dried apricots, dates and plums at 25 ºC and 85% of relative humidity following exposures of 21 days. The experiment found that mites are able to enter to every dried fruit packing material tested, including polypropylene and aluminum foils. This indicates that mites can disperse from package to package in supermarkets. Mites are known as allergen producers and vectors of mycotoxin-producing fungi. These findings indicate that an increased risk of C. lactis contamination exists in dried fruit.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Jan Hubert, Vaclav Stejskal, Tomas Erban, Marta Nesvorna. Emerging risk of infestation and contamination of dried fruits by mites in the Czech Republic. Food Additives and Contaminants, 2011, pp.1. ⟨10.1080/19440049.2011.584911⟩. ⟨hal-00721229⟩