Screening for the Presence of Patulin in Molded Fresh Produce and Evaluation of Its Stability in the Production of Tomato Products

A screening for the presence of patulin in molded fresh produce was conducted. Patulin was present in 11% of the sweet bell peppers and in 8% of the soft red fruits, but not in onions. Patulin was also found in tomatoes, but could not be detected in derived tomato products. When the production process of tomato concentrates was simulated, none of the evaluated hypotheses could however explain a complete degradation of patulin. It was thus concluded that the tomato varieties used for further processing are probably less susceptible to infestation by patulin-producing molds compared to tomatoes used for the fresh market. This was confirmed by screening for patulin throughout the production process of tomato concentrate, gazpacho, and salmorejo in three different countries; all 191 samples were negative for patulin. Therefore, it can be concluded that no health risk can be associated with derived tomato products considering this particular mycotoxin.