Mycotoxins Contamination in Food: Alternative Plant Preservatives, Legislation and Detection Methods

Abstract

Crops, foods, and raw materials are vulnerable to contamination by many fungi. Besides reduction in crop yield and loss of quality, some fungi are a source of mycotoxins. The major types of mycotoxins include aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisins, patulin, trichothecenes, and zearalenone. The economic consequences of contamination by mycotoxins are profound, representing a common health hazard for humans and animals because of both chronic and acute toxicological manifestations. As it is nearly impossible to prevent contamination by mycotoxins, the food industry has established internal monitoring methods to comply with the legal regulatory limits, leading to the exploitation of alternative food processing and preservation techniques. As secondary plant metabolites are biodegradable to nontoxic products, they are potentially useful in integrated pest management programs and could allow the development of a new class of safer disease‐control substances. This chapter aims to update the knowledge on contamination of food and storage products by mycotoxins. A summary of the main types of mycotoxins present in food and crop products, plant metabolites that could be potentially applied because of their antifungal properties, food safety legislation on this matter, and analytical methods used to detect mycotoxins are presented. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Aromatic Plant-Based Functional Foods: A Natural Approach to Manage Cardiovascular Diseases

“…Particularly in the last years, the use of these volatile compounds as biopreservatives has received increasing attention mainly due to consumers’ concerns toward the use of synthetic preservatives. Indeed, microbial contaminants affect crops, foods, commodities, and raw material and are a relevant source of mycotoxins that can cause severe health concerns [ 57 ]. Importantly, following ingestion, these compounds are able to suppress the immune system, induce mutations, cancer, teratogenic effects, and infertility [ 58 ].…”