Current research and prevention of aflatoxins in China

Abstract

Since their discovery in the 1960s, aflatoxins were found to have a considerable impact on the health of humans and animals as well as the country’s economy and international trade. Aflatoxins are often found in nuts, cereals and animal feeds, which has a significant danger to the food industry. Over the years, several steps have been undertaken worldwide to minimise their contamination in crops and their exposure to humans and animals. China is one of the largest exporters and importers of food and animal feed. As a result, many studies have been carried out in China related to aflatoxins, including their distribution, pollution, detection methods, monitoring, testing and managing. Chinese scientists studied aflatoxins in microbiological, toxicological, ecological effects as well as policies relating to their controlling. China has thus put into practice a number of strategies aiming at the prevention and control of aflatoxins in order to protect consumers and ensure a safe trade of food and feed, and the status and enlargement of these strategies are very important and useful for many consumers and stakeholders in China. Therefore, this article aims at the detriment assessments, regulations, distribution, detection methods, prevention and control of aflatoxins in China. It equally provides useful information about the recent safety management systems in place to fight the contamination of aflatoxins in food and feed in China.

Distribution of Aspergillus Fungi and Recent Aflatoxin Reports, Health Risks, and Advances in Developments of Biological Mitigation Strategies in China

“…Tumukunde et al (2020) [102] reviewed AF detection techniques commonly used in China. In addition, rapid diagnostic methods that are either immunoassay-or biosensorbased are also being utilized in China.…”

Updates on the Functions and Molecular Mechanisms of the Genes Involved in Aspergillus flavus Development and Biosynthesis of Aflatoxins

“…This fungus is known to be an opportunistic pathogen, and it is capable of infecting a number of seed crops (e.g., peanuts, maze, cotton seeds, rice, etc.) and living organisms including animals and humans [ 2 , 3 ]. In general, A. flavus produces highly toxic secondary metabolites named aflatoxins, and the consumption of highly aflatoxin contaminated food can cause death or chronic diseases particularly in immune-suppressed patients.…”

“…Of all the aflatoxins identified so far, AFB 1 has been found to the most toxic and foremost potent carcinogen natural chemical compound produced by Aspergillus fungi (e.g., A. flavus , A. nomius , A. parasiticus , etc.) [ 2 , 7 ].…”

The PHD transcription factor Cti6 is involved in the fungal colonization and aflatoxin B1 biological synthesis of Aspergillus flavus

“…As a soil saprophyte worldwide, the notorious Aspergillus flavus colonizes many important crops, such as corn, peanut and cotton, and the threat of the pathogen to the life of immunosuppressed patients through aspergillosis is just second to A. fumigatus (Amaike and Keller 2011 ; Hedayati et al 2007 ; Tsui et al 2011 ). This pathogenic fungus also causes aflatoxicosis to animal and human through the contamination of crop and feed by its most toxic secondary metabolites among known mycotoxins: aflatoxins (including aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2) (Amaike and Keller 2011 ; Tumukunde et al 2020 ). Among aflatoxins, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is known to be the most toxic and carcinogenic mycotoxins, and it is one of the Group 1 carcinogens listed by IARC (the International Agency for Research on Cancer) (Wu et al 2014 ; Xing et al 2016 ).…”