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.
Highlights
Mycotoxins are poisonous secondary metabolites produced by many filamentous fungi belonging to the phylum Ascomycota
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
While some third-party validations, e.g., by Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), have been done for some mycotoxin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, the validation and marketing are for use with specific toxins under specific contamination levels within specified matrixes; the kit cannot be used for all food matrices and all contamination levels [106]
Summary
Mycotoxins are poisonous (toxic) secondary metabolites produced by many filamentous fungi belonging to the phylum Ascomycota. Analytical challenges include difficulties in detecting low-level mycotoxin contamination, complex food matrices in which the mycotoxin contamination occurs necessitating complicated extraction processes, the great diversity of mycotoxin chemical structures, and the co-occurrence of mycotoxins [18,19,20]. To tackle these challenges, continuous improvements in the analytical methodology for mycotoxin analysis in a variety of food matrix are needed to support the enforcement of mycotoxin regulations, protect consumer’s health, support the agriculture industry, and facilitate international food trade [19]. This review summarizes the key mycotoxins commonly contaminating foodstuffs, their toxicity, and the key methods used for their detection and analysis in a variety of foods
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