Recent advances on type A trichothecenes in food and feed: Analysis, prevalence, toxicity, and decontamination techniques

Abstract

Trichothecenes are groups of chemically related toxins formed by some filamentous fungal species such as Fusarium, Myrothecium, and Stachybotrys. T-2 toxin (T-2), HT-2 toxin (HT-2), neosolaniol (NEO), diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), monoacetoxyscirpenol (MAS), Verrucarol (VER), Scirpentriol (SCP), and their derivatives are reported as representative type A trichothecenes. Recent advances in the toxicological effects and occurrence of type A trichothecenes as well as their detection and decontamination methods were reviewed in this study. Type A trichothecenes have been detected in numerous food and feed materials and the most popular detection technique was liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. T-2 and HT-2 were considered as the most prevalent type A trichothecenes in cereals, especially in barley, oats, and animal feeds. Although the concentrations of the detected type A trichothecenes were generally low, severely contaminated samples were observed occasionally which may harm the health of human and animals. Literatures on the occurrence of NEO, MAS, VER, and SCP are still limited. More research on monitoring their prevalence in agricultural products and efficient techniques to reduce their prevalence and harmful effects are needed.