Instability of PR toxin in blue cheese.

PR toxin was unstable in solvent extracts of blue cheese and in strongly acidic solutions. However, it was appreciably stable over a 2.5 hr period in moderately acidic methanol-water extracts (pH 2--3) of blue cheese. Using this extraction mixture, it was determined that PR toxin was not stable in blue cheese itself. PR toxin reacted with model neutral and basic amino acids and the formation of PR imine from PR toxin in the presence of blue cheese was demonstrated. While PR imine added to blue cheese could be recovered on analysis after 5 min, over a 2--5 day period it too was unstable in the cheese.