The genus Alternaria is widely distributed in the environment. Numerous species of the genus Alternaria can produce a variety of toxic secondary metabolites, called Alternaria mycotoxins. In this review, natural occurrence, toxicity, metabolism, and analytical methods are introduced. The contamination of these toxins in foodstuffs is ubiquitous, and most of these metabolites present genotoxic and cytotoxic effects. Moreover, Alternaria toxins are mainly hydroxylated to catechol metabolites and combined with sulfate and glucuronic acid in in vitro arrays. A more detailed summary of the metabolism of Alternaria toxins is presented in this work. To effectively detect and determine the mycotoxins in food, analytical methods with high sensitivity and good accuracy are also reviewed. This review will guide the formulation of maximum residue limit standards in the future, covering both toxicity and metabolic mechanism of Alternaria toxins.

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Shandong Province is among China’s major marine provinces, and the marine environment in Shandong supports important economic activities, such as fishing, aquaculture, and tourism. The presence of microplastics in the marine environment can impact these activities and the livelihoods of people who depend on them. Therefore, studying microplastics in Shandong Peninsula is crucial for understanding and mitigating these impacts. In this research, the microplastics were detected with abundance ranging from 50.67 to 315.2 particles/kg dry weight, and polyethylene and polypropylene have dominant proportions in beach sand and sediments. Microplastics were also detected in holothurians and oysters with detection rates at 16.7% and 38.9%, respectively. This study highlighted that microplastics pollution in the Shandong Peninsula was closely related to anthropogenic activities. Moreover, microplastics have inhibited superoxide dismutase activity and significantly increased malondialdehyde during zebrafish growth, which provided a potential effect between microplastics and marine organism. Human activities contribute to microplastics pollution in the environment, while at the same time, the presence of microplastics can impact marine organism and human activities. To mitigate the impacts of microplastics on the Shandong Peninsula, it is important to reduce the sources of microplastics and to develop effective management strategies for controlling their spread and impact.