Harmful Substances in Plant-Based Food

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, “Harmful Substances in Plant-based Food”, is focused on toxic substances of various origin occuring in plant-based food and their impact on human health. This topic is very important, as vegan-like diets have become very popular and increasingly more people have decided to go vegan for ethical, environmental or health reasons. These diets eliminate all animal products and include only food which is derived from plants, including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. If followed properly, a plant-based diet has significant health benefits and can be successful in the prevention of many illnesses, including heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, digestive disease, colon and breast cancers, and obesity. Nevertheless, a diet based exclusively on plant foods may be the source of natural toxic substances named phytotoxins and, in some cases, may increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies. Nutrient deficiency frequently results from the removal of elements of plants' yield or insufficient fertilization. On the other hand, some harmful contaminants can be introduced to plants as a result of environmental pollution. Finally, some harmful substances are formed during the processing of raw plant material.

In general, food toxins can not be removed from foods and others may be created during processing or cooking, meaning that the consumption of small quantities of food toxins is unavoidable. However, the low incidence of adverse reactions to such food is the result of setting limits on certain substances and developing mitigation procedures for process-induced toxins. However, the risk of toxicity due to the consumption of food toxins is growing in the case of increased contamination of food, overconsumption, allergies or an unpredictable idiosyncratic response.

In conclusion, in this Special Issue, articles (original research papers, perspectives, hypotheses, opinions, reviews, modeling approaches, and methods) that focus on the toxicological and regulatory aspects of toxins present in commonly consumed plant-origin foods are most welcome. Papers which illustrate the potential health risk posed by these food toxins when consumed at concentrations normally present and which discuss the possible steps which could be taken by regulators to mitigate exposure where possible are also strongly encouraged.

Dr. Małgorzata Dżugan
Prof. Dr. Jaroslav Legáth
Guest Editors

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