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

Abstract

Aflatoxins (AFs) are secondary metabolites that represent serious threats to human and animal health. They are mainly produced by strains of the saprophytic fungus Aspergillus flavus, which are abundantly distributed across agricultural commodities. AF contamination is receiving increasing attention by researchers, food producers, and policy makers in China, and several interesting review papers have been published, that mainly focused on occurrences of AFs in agricultural commodities in China. The goal of this review is to provide a wider scale and up-to-date overview of AF occurrences in different agricultural products and of the distribution of A. flavus across different food and feed categories and in Chinese traditional herbal medicines in China, for the period 2000–2020. We also highlight the health impacts of chronic dietary AF exposure, the recent advances in biological AF mitigation strategies in China, and recent Chinese AF standards.

Comprehensive Review of Aflatoxin and Ochratoxin A Dynamics: Emergence, Toxicological Impact, and Advanced Control Strategies

“…This toxin biosynthesis is a complex process involving at least 27 enzymes, with genetic analysis revealing similarities among aflatoxin-producing fungi [ 29 ]. Furthermore, around 30 genes are known to be crucial for aflatoxin synthesis [ 30 ].…”

Application of biosensors in aflatoxins detection in food: a review

“…Their applications are different in many eras like food, drugs and environmental. In food technology particularly, the chemical and biological contaminants must be determined as they are so crucial in food quality and safety (Mamo et al , 2021; Mishra et al , 2018).…”

“…Several studies reported health problems after aflatoxin exposure in humans. The major concerns of aflatoxin exposure and accumulation are as the following: serious liver damage, hepatocellular carcinoma and high cirrhosis risk after (Mamo et al , 2021); inducing immunosuppression that would lead in high infections occurrence in human (Zhang et al , 2020); and children growth impairment (Chen et al , 2020). …”

Analysis of 16 mycotoxins in genuine traditional Chinese medicine for five medicinal parts: Classification of analytical method based on PANI@CS extraction-UPLC-MS/MS

“…Especially in recent years, the existence of exogenous harmful substances such as foodborne mycotoxins (FMs) [ 5 , 6 ], which affect the safety of TCMs, have caused international doubts about the safety, effectiveness and quality control of TCMs. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungal organisms [ 7 , 8 ], they have a wide range of sources and have three toxic effects. The WTO designates aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) as a class I carcinogen [ [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] ].…”