Mycotoxins of Concern in Children and Infant Cereal Food at European Level: Incidence and Bioaccessibility

Abstract

Cereals are of utmost importance for the nutrition of infants and children, as they provide important nutrients for their growth and development and, in addition, they are easily digestible, being the best choice for the transition from breast milk/infant formula to solid foods. It is well known that children are more susceptible than adults to toxic food contaminants, such as mycotoxins, common contaminants in cereals. Many mycotoxins are already regulated and controlled according to strict quality control standards in Europe and around the world. There are, however, some mycotoxins about which the level of knowledge is lower: the so-called emerging mycotoxins, which are not yet regulated. The current review summarizes the recent information (since 2014) published in the scientific literature on the amounts of mycotoxins in infants’ and children’s cereal-based food in Europe, as well as their behaviour during digestion (bioaccessibility). Additionally, analytical methods used for mycotoxin determination and in vitro methods used to evaluate bioaccessibility are also reported. Some studies demonstrated the co-occurrence of regulated and emerging mycotoxins in cereal products used in children’s food, which highlights the need to adopt guidelines on the simultaneous presence of more than one mycotoxin. Although very little research has been done on the bioaccessibility of mycotoxins in these food products, very interesting results correlating the fiber and lipid contents of such products with a higher or lower bioaccessibility of mycotoxins were reported. LC-MS/MS is the method of choice for the detection and quantification of mycotoxins due to its high sensibility and accuracy. In vitro static digestion models are the preferred ones for bioaccessibility evaluation due to their simplicity and accuracy.

Boosting knowledge and harmonisation in the mycotoxin field through sustainable scientific alliances – MYCOBOOST

“…In spite of the regulation framework and continuous monitoring, humans and animals are thus exposed to multiple mycotoxins within a single meal, as biomonitoring studies have demonstrated (Eskola et al, 2020a), (Turner et al, 2012). Current drivers such as new dietary patterns (e.g., increase of alternative protein consumption or plant-based diets) may affect overall exposure, especially in sensitive population groups (Pereira et al, 2022) (i.e., infants, children, pregnant women, people with specific dietary needs).…”

Antifungal Effect of Autochthonous Aromatic Plant Extracts on Two Mycotoxigenic Strains of Aspergillus flavus

“…Several EU regulations currently exist on maximum limits allowed for the most widely recognized mycotoxins, aflatoxin, ochratoxin, zearalenone fumonisin and patulin. These regulations are particularly severe in terms of the limits required for foods and food products destined for infants and children, as they are more susceptible to the effects of mycotoxin contamination [10]. Among the mycotoxins, aflatoxins, produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus, are undoubtedly the most documented of all mycotoxins and are widely present in foods [11].…”

“…There are six types of aflatoxins (B 1 , B 2 , G 1 , G 2 , M 1 and M 2 ) [12], where aflatoxin B 1 , AFB 1 , stands out for being considered as Class I carcinogens by the World Health Organization (WHO). More specifically, the bioaccessibility of AFB 1 in infant formulas has been reported to be higher than for other mycotoxins, being, therefore, more toxic [10]. They can be both acutely and chronically toxic and be carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic and immunosuppressive to most mammalian species [13,14].…”