Retrospective and Prospective Look at Aflatoxin Research and Development from a Practical Standpoint

Abstract

Among the array of structurally and toxicologically diverse mycotoxins, aflatoxins have attracted the most interest of scientific research due to their high toxicity and incidence in foods and feeds. Despite the undeniable progress made in various aspects related to aflatoxins, the ultimate goal consisting of reducing the associated public health risks worldwide is far from being reached due to multiplicity of social, political, economic, geographic, climatic, and development factors. However, a reasonable degree of health protection is attained in industrialized countries owing to their scientific, administrative, and financial capacities allowing them to use high-tech agricultural management systems. Less fortunate situation exists in equatorial and sub-equatorial developing countries mainly practicing traditional agriculture managed by smallholders for subsistence, and where the climate is suitable for mould growth and aflatoxin production. Accordingly, it is difficult to harmonize the regulatory standards of aflatoxins worldwide, which prevents agri-foods of developing countries from access to the market of industrialized countries. To tackle the multi-facetted aflatoxin problems, actions should be taken collectively by the international community involving scientific research, technological and social development, environment protection, etc. International cooperation should foster technology transfer and exchange of pertinent technical information. This review presents the main historical discoveries leading to our present knowledge on aflatoxins and the challenges that should be addressed presently and in the future at various levels to ensure higher health protection for everybody. In short, it aims to elucidate where we come from and where we should go in terms of aflatoxin research/development.

Aflatoxins: Production, Structure, Health Issues and Incidence in Southeast Asian and Sub-Saharan African Countries

“…Most importantly, they can invert to their highly toxic precursors in foods or after ingestion [27]. For example, aflatoxicol, which is 25 to 50% as potent as its parent AFB1, is almost entirely converted back in the liver to either the more toxic parent AFB1 or to AFM1 [1,[165][166].…”

“…This assumption has been debated since some authors suggested that aflatoxins have a threshold response [194] which, if confirmed, will change drastically the current perception of aflatoxin risks and urge the revision of previous assessments on a new basis using specifically adapted mathematical models and approaches. In addition, due to the high uncertainties and inaccuracies in dietary intake estimations, there is a tendency to use biomarkers for exposure determinations; yet, the ideal biomarker is still lacking for this purpose, as was discussed earlier [1]. Presently, the biomarker aflatoxin-Lys adduct appears to be the best candidate to estimate chronic exposure.…”

“…In view of the above-mentioned limitations of conventional and innovative decontamination methods, there is a general agreement that for these strategies to ensure sustainable protection against aflatoxin contamination, they must be a part of an integrated approach using appropriate quality assurance systems. Such an approach should encompass pre-and post-harvest measures, selection of mold-resistant cultivars, proper use of fungicides and insecticides, adoption of specific cultural techniques depending on the AEZ and increased awareness of the farmers' regarding the impact of mycotoxin contamination on the crop yield and health [1,80,208]. Among the various actions of this wholistic approach to improve the situation in endemic zones, there is a clear trend to alter the soil microbiome by artificial establishment of non-aflatoxigenic molds strains.…”

“…Mycotoxins are among the microbial toxins of most concern to public health, and they represent a barrier to a wider international trade of agri-food products and an important obstacle in the face of the harmonization of regulatory standards globally, as was discussed earlier [1]. They are produced by various mould species as low-molecular-weight non-immunogenic secondary metabolites whose occurrence has been reported in virtually all foods and feeds [2][3].…”