MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

A comprehensive review of mycotoxins, their toxicity, and innovative detoxification methods

Summary

Mycotoxins are poisons produced by molds that commonly contaminate foods like grains, nuts, and spices, causing serious health problems in people and animals. This comprehensive review examines how these toxins affect our health, how to detect them in food, and various methods to remove or destroy them. Traditional approaches using biological agents and chemicals work well but are only partially effective, while newer innovative methods using nanoparticles and plant extracts show greater promise for more complete protection of our food supply.

Background

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi such as Fusarium, Aspergillus, and Penicillium that contaminate food products including grains, nuts, and spices. These compounds cause serious health concerns including hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and carcinogenicity in humans and animals. Mycotoxins are chemically stable, resist food processing, and affect approximately 25% of the world’s grain supply.

Objective

This review provides a comprehensive overview of food mycotoxins, their toxicity mechanisms, detection techniques, and contemporary detoxification methods. The article aims to clarify the pressing need for efficient management and monitoring strategies to prevent mycotoxin contamination in the food chain.

Results

Pre-harvest strategies using Good Agricultural Practices and biological control agents can reduce mycotoxin production. Post-harvest methods including sorting, processing, radiation, and cold plasma treatment achieve varying reduction rates (26-99%). Novel approaches using nanoparticles, chitosan, ozone, plant extracts, bacteria, yeasts, and fungi demonstrate significant detoxification potential. Omics approaches reveal genomic and proteomic mechanisms of mycotoxin production.

Conclusion

Effective mycotoxin management requires integrated approaches combining prevention, detection, and detoxification strategies. Traditional methods including biological and chemical approaches are cost-effective but only partially effective. Novel detoxification strategies including nanotechnology and omics-based approaches show promise for more complete and efficient mycotoxin removal from food and feed.
  • Published in:Toxicology Reports,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMC11954124, PMID: 40162074
Scroll to Top