Food security, underestimated hazard of joint mycotoxin exposure and management of the risk of mycotoxin contamination

Food Security and Foodborne Mycotoxicoses—What Should Be the Adequate Risk Assessment and Regulation?

“…Currently, there is evidence of mycotoxin involvement in diseases in humans or farm animals, such as pulmonary oedema in pigs, equine leukoencephalomalacia, vulvovaginitis or rectal prolapse in pigs, Alimentary Toxic Aleukia in people, stachybotryotoxicosis, mycotoxic porcine/chicken nephropathy, Balkan Endemic Nephropathy (BEN), ergotism, and some others [ 7 , 10 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. Different animals have different sensitivity to mycotoxins, as poultry species are less sensitive to the toxicity of FUMs, DON, and ZEA, but pigs are more sensitive to T-2 and DON [ 54 ].…”

“…In addition, mycotoxins are reported to be responsible for some secondary bacterial diseases due to their immunosuppressive effects [ 56 , 57 ]. Some foodborne mycotoxicoses, e.g., equine leukoencephalomalacia, vulvovaginitis and rectal prolaps in pigs, Alimentary Toxic Aleukia in people, porcine pulmonary oedema, human oesophagal carcinoma, stachybotryotoxicosis ( Figure 1 ), mycotoxic porcine/chicken nephropathy ( Figure 2 ), ergotism, and many other diseases or ailments in animals or humans are some of the well-known examples of foodborne mycotoxicoses [ 2 , 10 ].…”

“…Foodborne diseases, increased number of secondary bacterial infections, or decreased reproductive capacities can be often seen in such animals [ 7 , 8 ]. The well-known toxic effects of mycotoxins are nephrotoxic (mainly OTA and slightly FB1), neurotoxic (mainly FB1), immunosuppressive (mainly OTA, AFB1, DON, and T-2 toxin), genotoxic (mainly AFB1, OTA, T-2), carcinogenic (mainly AFB1, OTA, and FB1), and oestrogenic (ZEA) effects [ 2 , 9 , 10 ].…”

“…In this regard, different kinds of losses attributed to mycotoxins are known, e.g., decreased livestock production, illness or death of animals/humans, increased necessity for medical care and veterinary service, increased costs for regulatory and preventive measures or mycotoxins detoxification, economic losses caused by food/feed scrapping, etc. [ 5 , 10 ].…”

Complexo do enfezamento do milho, sustentabilidade e segurança alimentar: uma revisão literária

“…Em virtude dos riscos à saúde pública e também animal, que possuem acesso a esses alimentos através de rações e silagem, muitos países passaram a adotar restrições na importação de grãos e outros alimentos, aceitando esses produtos somente com níveis de concentração de micotoxinas abaixo do que consideram perigoso, cargas alimentícias com níveis acima do permitido retornam ao local de origem para descarte. Este fato é um desafio para segurança alimentar, garantir alimentos livres de concentrações perigosas ou combinações de micotoxinas (Stoev, 2023). Fungos do gênero Fusarium estão entre os principais produtores de micotoxinas em grãos de milho, principalmente as espécies F. graminearum e F. verticillioides.…”