Climatic Changes Affecting Global Cereal Microbiome

Dear Colleagues,

Different cereals are grown globally and are considered to have been the main food source for humanity for many centuries. Climatic changes greatly influence the microbial diversity of cereals, and shifts of different species have already been reported by several authors across the globe (i.e., Fusarium). Recent reports say that Fusarium species are affected by the rising temperatures and can be considered as an indicator of global warming. Fusarium culmorum is one of the examples of this phenomenon. This fungus was commonly to found Central and Eastern European countries, but with global warming, this fungus appears to be much rarer in these parts of Europe, whilst the more prevalent species, Fusarium graminearum, is taking its place across the European continent. The shift in Fusarium species indicates the shift in all microbial life forms populating cereals; according to this, we can hypothesize that secondary metabolites of these microorganisms are probably undergoing some changes too. Myco- and plant toxins, or rather metabolites, are regularly detected in cereals. Some are regarded as toxic for humans and animals and clear legislative limits have been set by the legislative bodies in order to keep them under control. Some, however, are still not recognized by the legislative institutions and represent a danger to human health. These are mostly conjugated toxins that are transformed during digestion, food processing, or via plant enzymes into the modified form (glucosides, sulfates, acetyl forms, etc.) or the conjugated form gets degraded into the original molecule.  Novel/emerging myco- or plant toxins, both the modified and basic forms, are an important factor in a sustainable food chain. and should be included in legislation.

Dr. Kristina Habschied
Dr. Krešimir Mastanjević
Dr. Vinko Krstanović
Guest Editors

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