Cereals and cereal-based products are primary sources of nutrition across the world. However, contamination of these foods with aflatoxins (AFs), secondary metabolites produced by several fungal species, has raised serious concerns. AF generation in innate substrates is influenced by several parameters, including the substrate type, fungus species, moisture content, minerals, humidity, temperature, and physical injury to the kernels. Consumption of AF-contaminated cereals and cereal-based products can lead to both acute and chronic health issues related to physical and mental maturity, reproduction, and the nervous system. Therefore, the precise detection methods, detoxification, and management strategies of AFs in cereal and cereal-based products are crucial for food safety as well as consumer health. Hence, this review provides a brief overview of the occurrence, chemical characteristics, biosynthetic processes, health hazards, and detection techniques of AFs, along with a focus on detoxification and management strategies that could be implemented for food safety and security.

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Freshly harvested Fruits and vegetables are susceptible to pathogenic organisms owing to increased respiration rate after harvesting. With the help of various preservation techniques, respiration rate of fresh agricultural commodity can be reduced. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is a technology that changes the gas concentration in the package around the produce for shelf life enhancement and preservation of the food quality. Extensive research has been conducted in this field during the last two decades. Modified atmosphere packaging uses three main gases such as oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrogen (N2) to modify the atmosphere within the package. Concentration of gases depends on the type of fresh produce being packed. MAP aids in increasing the shelf-life of commodities from many days to many weeks as compared to conventional storage system. MAP reduces physiological injury, disorder, weight loss, fungal growth and pathological deterioration.

Pearl millet (Pennisetumglaucum (L.)) is the fifth most important cereal crop in the world after rice, wheat, maize and sorghum. A resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on 3 March 2021 decided to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets. Millet has been promoted due to its nutritional value and low irrigation requirement. In this study, pearl millet was selected for energy auditing, and its production amount is a direct function of energy input. The production of pearl millet needs to be augmented to fulfill an increasing demand. Pearl millet is produced using various sources of energy. This study was conducted to examine the energy use pattern of different categories of farmers, such as small, medium and large, for pearl millet production in Hisar district, Haryana, India. The energy was distributed in different operations, including preparatory tillage, sowing, interculture, fertilizer, irrigation, pesticide, harvesting, threshing and transportation. The source-wise energy (direct and indirect) and operation-wise energy consumption were calculated for all categories of farmers. The average energy input of small, medium and large farmers was 2849.09 MJ.ha−1, 3027.21 MJ.ha−1 and 4021.50 MJ.ha−1, respectively. The highest energy was consumed in fertilizer application (52%), with the lowest in seed (2%). The energy ratios of small, medium and large farmers were 3.92, 9.40 and 13.80, respectively. This study could improve the agricultural production systems of pearl millet regarding the energy values of the inputs and outputs.

Pearl millet, also known as Bajra is one of the major Kharif food crops of arid and semi-arid cropping region of India. It ranks first under the category of millet in India in terms of area, production and productivity. An on-the-farm evaluation of energy inputs and output was calculated to determine the distribution of main energy sources (i.e. human, fuel, machinery, seed and fertilizer) used in pearl millet cultivation. This study was carried out at dryland farm area, C.C.S.