A systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the concentration and prevalence of trichothecenes in the cereal-based food

Abstract

BackgroundThe contamination of food products by mycotoxin particularly trichothecenes is a serious health concern. While several studies investigated the concentration and prevalence of trichothecenes in cereal-based products, a comprehensive meta-analysis is not available. Scope and approachThe concentration and prevalence of trichothecenes (TCNs) such as deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), 3-acetyldeoxynivalen, 15-acetyldeoxynivalen, toxins T-2 and HT-2, neosolaniol (NEO), fusarenon-X and 4,15-diacetoxyscirpe in cereal-based food products among databases including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and Embase was investigated between 1 January of 1983 and 1 February of 2019 by the aid of a systematic review and meta-analysis prevalence. Among 950 explored articles in the identification stage, 57 articles with 372 samples were included in the current meta-analysis. Key findings and conclusionsAmong all studied TCNs, the concentration of DON in cereal-based products were higher than others, exceptionally in bread samples which fusurenon x was the dominant TCNs. Also, the highest TCNs prevalence was correlated with DON, except for baby and infant foods which had predominantly T-2. The overall rank order based on the concentration and prevalence of TCNs were breakfast cereals > noddle > bread > wheat foods > pasta > infant foods > barley prevalence and prevalence barley > wheat foods > infant foods > pasta > bread > breakfast cereals > noddle, respectively. The outcomes of the present meta-analysis highlighted the demand for further improvements in controlling of TCNs among cereal-based products, besides approaching mitigation techniques in order to reduce the dietary exposure to TCNs via the consumption of cereal-based foods.