Cyanotoxins and Food Contamination in Developing Countries: Review of Their Types, Toxicity, Analysis, Occurrence and Mitigation Strategies

Abstract

Cyanotoxins have gained global public interest due to their potential to bioaccumulate in food, which threatens human health. Bloom formation is usually enhanced under Mediterranean, subtropical and tropical climates which are the dominant climate types in developing countries. In this context, we present an up-to-date overview of cyanotoxins (types, toxic effects, analysis, occurrence, and mitigation) with a special focus on their contamination in (sea)food from all the developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America as this has received less attention. A total of 65 publications have been found (from 2000 until October 2021) reporting the contamination by one or more cyanotoxins in seafood and edible plants (five papers). Only Brazil and China conducted more research on cyanotoxin contamination in food in comparison to other countries. The majority of research focused on the detection of microcystins using different analytical methods. The detected levels mostly surpassed the provisional tolerable daily intake limit set by the World Health Organization, indicating a real risk to the exposed population. Assessment of cyanotoxin contamination in foods from developing countries still requires further investigations by conducting more survey studies, especially the simultaneous detection of multiple categories of cyanotoxins in food.

Foodborne pathogens in the plastisphere: Can microplastics in the food chain threaten microbial food safety?

“…However, these two studies also reported decreased concentrations of paralytic shellfish toxins respectively upon variation of particle size (exposure to 1 μm MP) and prolonged exposure time. Furthermore, micro-and nanoplastics can directly alter the cyanobacterial production of microcystins, a class of environmental toxins which also play an emerging role as food contaminants due to the increased anthropogenic activities and climate change (Abdallah et al, 2021). Independent studies (X.…”

Towards a Better Quantification of Cyanotoxins in Fruits and Vegetables: Validation and Application of an UHPLC-MS/MS-Based Method on Belgian Products

“…Cyanotoxins can be produced in eutrophic waterbodies during blooms of photosynthetic, eukaryotic organisms called cyanobacteria [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Multiple studies and reviews have documented the occurrence of cyanotoxins in different foods [9,10]. The sedentary nature of agriculture allows for the accumulation of these harmful compounds in food crops when vital irrigation water is contaminated with these toxins.…”

Bacterioplankton Associated with Toxic Cyanobacteria Promote Pisum sativum (Pea) Growth and Nutritional Value through Positive Interactions

“…The worldwide spread of toxic cyanobacterial blooms has become a global threat to freshwater resources due to the production of cyanotoxins [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. One of the major cyanotoxins is microcystin (MC), and MC-rich waters are frequently used for crop irrigation and human/livestock consumption and, thus, reach the food chain [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. MC causes serious health problems such as liver cancer, colorectal cancer [ 7 ], and malnutrition via nutrient deficiency in crops irrigated with MC-contaminated water.…”