Biocontrol Methods in Avoidance and Downsizing of Mycotoxin Contamination of Food Crops

Abstract

By increasing the resistance of seeds against abiotic and biotic stress, the possibility of cereal mold contamination and hence the occurrence of secondary mold metabolites mycotoxins decreases. The use of biological methods of seed treatment represents a complementary strategy, which can be implemented as an environmental-friendlier approach to increase the agricultural sustainability. Whereas the use of resistant cultivars helps to reduce mold growth and mycotoxin contamination at the very beginning of the production chain, biological detoxification of cereals provides additional weapons against fungal pathogens in the later stage. Most efficient techniques can be selected and combined on an industrial scale to reduce losses and boost crop yields and agriculture sustainability, increasing at the same time food and feed safety. This paper strives to emphasize the possibility of implementation of biocontrol methods in the production of resistant seeds and the prevention and reduction in cereal mycotoxin contamination.

High-efficiency fungal pathogen intervention for seed protection: new utility of long-chain alkyl gallates as heat-sensitizing agents

“…Regarding the detoxification of mycotoxins such as aflatoxins produced by A. flavus , various approaches have been reported to inactivate mycotoxins, including biological, chemical and physical methods. The biocontrol-based mycotoxin detoxification is widely recognized as specific, efficient, environment-friendly and sustainable methods; for example, mycotoxin removal by probiotics, cell-binding of mycotoxins, biodegradation, microbial consortia and recombinant enzyme analysis ( Kim and Chan, 2014 ; El-Baky and Amara, 2021 ; Liu et al., 2022 ; Maidana et al., 2022 ; Zadravec et al., 2022 ). On the other hand, information on detailed mechanisms of mycotoxin degradation by biocontrol approach is currently scarce ( Zadravec et al., 2022 ), for which LC-MS/MS or GC-MS/MS methods may help to elucidate the pathway of mycotoxin biodegradation ( Agriopoulou et al., 2020 ).…”

“…The biocontrol-based mycotoxin detoxification is widely recognized as specific, efficient, environment-friendly and sustainable methods; for example, mycotoxin removal by probiotics, cell-binding of mycotoxins, biodegradation, microbial consortia and recombinant enzyme analysis ( Kim and Chan, 2014 ; El-Baky and Amara, 2021 ; Liu et al., 2022 ; Maidana et al., 2022 ; Zadravec et al., 2022 ). On the other hand, information on detailed mechanisms of mycotoxin degradation by biocontrol approach is currently scarce ( Zadravec et al., 2022 ), for which LC-MS/MS or GC-MS/MS methods may help to elucidate the pathway of mycotoxin biodegradation ( Agriopoulou et al., 2020 ). Decontamination of mycotoxin by physical techniques includes sorting and separation, washing, solvent extraction, heating, irradiation, and adsorption ( Yousefi et al., 2021 ; Wang et al., 2022 ), while that by chemical techniques primarily includes alkaline and ozone treatments ( Conte et al., 2020 ) among other plethora of methods ( El-Baky and Amara, 2021 ).…”

Fusarium biocontrol: antagonism and mycotoxin elimination by lactic acid bacteria

“…LAB possess peptide transporters that act as a shuttle system to transport the peptides degraded by proteinases into the cell. Intracellular proteinases further cleave the ingested peptides into different amino acids ( Zadravec et al, 2022 ). AMPs are polypeptide fragments with chains ranging in length from 20 to 50 amino acids that have particular antibacterial capabilities against various pathogens and are utilized as biocontrol agents in various industries.…”

Mycotoxins in Cereal-Based Products and Their Impacts on the Health of Humans, Livestock Animals and Pets

“…In the pre-harvest stage, all efforts are aimed to control mold growth. The effect started with the breeding of resistant seeds by genetic engineering, the use of biological methods of seed treatments such as coating seeds and seedlings with plant-derived antifungal peptides or metabolites and biopriming using bacteria such as Pseudomonas fluorescen [ 243 ]. In the field, the application of good agricultural practices such as selection of fungal-resistant seeds, crop rotation, tillage, fertilization, irrigation, proper use of fungicides and selection of right planting and harvest times all play significant roles in mold control in the field [ 244 , 245 , 246 ].…”

“…In the post-harvest stage, the control of mold and mycotoxin includes the inhibition of mold growth and the detoxification of mycotoxins [ 243 ]. Drying and storage conditions are critical in mold and mycotoxin control.…”