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.
Highlights
Cyanotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by certain toxic species of cyanobacteria, a morphologically diverse group of Gram-negative photosynthetic bacteria, which are known as blue-green algae [1,2,3]
We present an up-to-date overview of cyanotoxins with a special focus on their contamination infood from all the developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America as this has received less attention
Key Contribution: This review presents an up-to-date overview of cyanotoxins and summarizes the contamination of cyanotoxins in food from all the developing in Africa, Asia, and Latin America
Summary
Cyanotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by certain toxic species of cyanobacteria, a morphologically diverse group of Gram-negative photosynthetic bacteria, which are known as blue-green algae [1,2,3]. The problem of cyanotoxin production, due to the formation of toxic algal blooms (cyano-blooms) or scums or mats, and the subsequent risks for human and animal health are considered a subject of concern all over the world, especially when we consider the massively increasing anthropogenic activities and global warming issues [8,9,10,11,12]. This is due to a progressive eutrophication which induces an excessive growth of algae and enhances the formation of cyanotoxins [13]. The last part of the review highlights different mitigation strategies and the current knowledge gap that can be considered as future perspectives
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