Mycotoxin production by Fusarium species and a recent deep insight into management through biocontrol approaches

Abstract

Fusarium infection has become a significant and widespread concern in modern agriculture, posing a substantial threat to numerous essential crop plants. The pernicious fungal pathogen has been causing widespread destruction in diverse areas, resulting in severe consequences for both food security and economic stability. Mycotoxins, which are secondary metabolites produced by a wide variety of fungi, present serious risks to the health of both humans and animals and have the potential to result in considerable financial losses for the agricultural and food industries. The genus Fusarium is particularly infamous for its capacity to produce a diverse range of mycotoxins. The present summarized study highlights the recent progression of fusarium infection towards various pivotal agricultural crop plants with their life cycle, morphological and microscopic characteristics, and pathogenicity factors. Fusarium species are well-known for their ability to produce mycotoxins, such as zearalenones, fumonisins, Trichothecenes, Deoxynivalenol, Nivalenol, and T-2 toxins which are detrimental secondary metabolites that contaminate a wide range of agricultural products, with a particular emphasis on grains and cereals. The new emerging mycotoxins are producing new challenges for their control and serious risks to human health. The identification of Fusarium mycotoxins and the implementation of efficient biocontrol strategies to detoxify the mycotoxins through Trichoderma, Plant Secondary Metabolites, Lactic Acid Bacteria, Edible Mushrooms, and various Enzymes are essential measures for guaranteeing food safety and protecting public health. The mentioned biocontrol approaches to detoxify the mycotoxins are also discussed and addressed. Keywords: Fusarium mycotoxins, pathogenicity factors, trichothecenes, biocontrol agents, enzymatic detoxification.