Occurrence, Toxicity, and Analysis of Major Mycotoxins in Food

Abstract

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by certain filamentous fungi (molds). These low molecular weight compounds (usually less than 1000 Daltons) are naturally occurring and practically unavoidable. They can enter our food chain either directly from plant-based food components contaminated with mycotoxins or by indirect contamination from the growth of toxigenic fungi on food. Mycotoxins can accumulate in maturing corn, cereals, soybeans, sorghum, peanuts, and other food and feed crops in the field and in grain during transportation. Consumption of mycotoxin-contaminated food or feed can cause acute or chronic toxicity in human and animals. In addition to concerns over adverse effects from direct consumption of mycotoxin-contaminated foods and feeds, there is also public health concern over the potential ingestion of animal-derived food products, such as meat, milk, or eggs, containing residues or metabolites of mycotoxins. Members of three fungal genera, Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium, are the major mycotoxin producers. While over 300 mycotoxins have been identified, six (aflatoxins, trichothecenes, zearalenone, fumonisins, ochratoxins, and patulin) are regularly found in food, posing unpredictable and ongoing food safety problems worldwide. This review summarizes the toxicity of the six mycotoxins, foods commonly contaminated by one or more of them, and the current methods for detection and analysis of these mycotoxins.

Discrimination between zeranol and zearalenone exposure using hair analysis. Application to an adverse analytical finding case

“…Animals can be exposed to zearalenone when certain mycotoxin‐producing species of the fungi Fusarium colonize cereals and/or pasture. Zearalenone contamination of cereals, including corn and wheat, is spreading throughout the world . The main ingredients that are subject to mycotoxin contamination include corn, wheat, barley, rye, milo, corn gluten feed, corn gluten meal, corn, distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), screening pellet, wheat bran, and oat bran.…”

“…Zearalenone contamination of cereals, including corn and wheat, is spreading throughout the world. [5][6][7] The main ingredients that are subject to mycotoxin contamination include corn, wheat, barley, rye, milo, corn gluten feed, corn gluten meal, corn, distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), screening pellet, wheat bran, and oat bran. Zearalenone is difficult to remove once generated, because of its high thermal stability.…”

Food-borne mycotoxin hazards in the Kenyan market-a retrospective study

“…There is 52 widespread distribution of aflatoxigenic fungi in Kenya [3], and where indeed acute 53 aflatoxicosis in human and animals resulting in deaths has occurred [15,16,17]. Other than 54 threatening human and animal health, mycotoxins also affect international trading and 55 contribute to food and feed insecurity [1]. Most mycotoxins are stable to normal cooking and 56 processing.…”

Mycotoxins – climate impact and steps to prevention based on prediction

“…Many of them are impossible to eliminate during food treatment because of their stability against heat, physical and chemical infl uence [5]. These contaminants are the main hazard mentioned in EU border rejection notifi cations according to Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), with afl atoxins as the most common [6].…”

“…These contaminants are the main hazard mentioned in EU border rejection notifi cations according to Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), with afl atoxins as the most common [6]. Many national and international public health and governmental authorities, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Food Agriculture Organization (FAO), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pay serious attention to the presence of mycotoxins in food and feed and have adopted strict regulatory guidelines for maximum permitted levels, as shown in Table 1 [5]. Aside from health risks, important economic and trade implications arise from the mycotoxin contamination of food and feed.…”