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Editorial: Aspergillus-Derived Mycotoxins in the Feed and Food Chain

Summary

Aspergillus fungi produce harmful toxins called mycotoxins that can contaminate our food and animal feed at various stages from farm to table. Climate change is making this problem worse by helping these fungi spread and produce more toxins. Scientists are working on multiple solutions including using harmless fungi strains to compete with the harmful ones, using natural plant compounds to stop toxin production, and developing better ways to detect and remove these toxins from food and feed.

Background

Aspergillus-produced mycotoxins enter the feed and food chain at multiple points during pre-harvest and post-harvest stages. Climate change is accelerating the spread of mycotoxigenic fungi and facilitating mycotoxin production, though the underlying factors are not fully understood.

Objective

This editorial summarizes current knowledge on Aspergillus-derived mycotoxins focusing on three major research areas: toxicological, medical, veterinary aspects and control strategies; ecology and biological control of mycotoxigenic Aspergilli; and pre-harvest and post-harvest management of mycotoxigenic Aspergilli and mycotoxin production.

Results

The collection encompasses studies on aflatoxin prevalence and detection methods, risk assessment approaches, biocontrol strategies using atoxigenic A. flavus strains, plant bioactive compounds against mycotoxigenic fungi, and fungal biomass as mycotoxin biosorbents.

Conclusion

The wealth of information provided advances understanding of Aspergillus mycotoxins across multiple domains, supporting development of more effective prevention strategies and control technologies for mycotoxicoses in both human and animal populations.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Editorial/Review,
  • Source: PMID: 33304343, PMCID: PMC7693537, DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.606108
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