Toxigenic Fungi and Mycotoxins: From Toxin Biosynthesis to Toxicity Penetration

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Mycotoxins".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 2835

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute for Agro-Food Standards and Testing Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 1000 Jinqi Road, Shanghai 201403, China
Interests: mycotoxins; mycotoxin biosynthesis; food safety; fungi disease; fusarium and fusarium disease; fusarium mycotoxins; microbiology; fungal genetics; fungal population genetics
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Guest Editor
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Sciences, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Laboratory of Toxicology, University of Valencia, Burjassot, 46100 Valencia, Spain
Interests: mycotoxin determination by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry; alternative methods for toxicity assessment; in silico methods for predict mycotoxin toxicity; QSAR models for mycotoxin toxicity assessment; mycotoxin occurrence in foodstuffs; mycotoxin mitigation by thermal and non-thermal treatments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Many toxigenic fungi are devastating pathogens of crop/fruit and vegetable diseases worldwide. Serious yield losses in grain and fruits occur annually due to fungal diseases in the field and during storage. In addition to reducing agricultural product yields, devastating fungal disease can also lead to the contamination of consumption goods with toxic secondary metabolites, posing a threat to human and animal health. Food/feed safety is by far the greatest concern, as infected grains are often contaminated with various mycotoxins, such as trichothecenes, aflatoxins, patulin, etc., or the co-occurrence of these toxic secondary metabolites. In recent years, the impact of mycotoxins on food safety and human health has aroused considerable public concern. Therefore, toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins pose a significant threat to the global food supply and food/feed security.

The current topic aims to highlight current research and future perspective on all aspects of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins. Experts from the fields of diagnosis, disease prevention and control, functional genomics of toxogenic fungi and mycotoxin biosynthesis molecular mechanisms are invited to contribute their newest findings in the form of research articles or reviews. In the same way, studies on determination, toxicology and detoxification of mycotoxins and other aspects are all welcome.

Dr. Jianhua Wang
Dr. Josefa Tolosa
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • mycotoxins
  • fungal toxins
  • mycotoxigenic fungi
  • mycotoxin detection
  • mycotoxin toxicology

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1958 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Maize Physico-Chemical Parameters and Mycotoxin Levels in Dual Environments
by Bruna Carbas, Sílvia Barros, Andreia Freitas, Ana Sanches Silva and Carla Brites
Toxins 2024, 16(6), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins16060275 - 17 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1228
Abstract
Maize (Zea mays L.) stands as a vital staple food globally, holding significant nutritional and economic value. However, its susceptibility to mycotoxin contamination under stressful environmental conditions poses a considerable concern. This study aimed to assess the quality and pasting characteristics of [...] Read more.
Maize (Zea mays L.) stands as a vital staple food globally, holding significant nutritional and economic value. However, its susceptibility to mycotoxin contamination under stressful environmental conditions poses a considerable concern. This study aimed to assess the quality and pasting characteristics of maize varieties across two distinct regions and examine the occurrence of mycotoxins influenced by climatic factors. Five maize varieties were cultivated in triplicate in the Golegã and Coruche regions. The nutritional composition (protein, fat, fiber, ash, starch, and lutein), pasting properties, and mycotoxin levels were evaluated. A statistical analysis revealed notable differences in the nutritional profiles of the maize varieties between the two regions, particularly in the protein and lutein content. The peak viscosity ranged from 6430 to 8599 cP and from 4548 to 8178 cP in the maize varieties from the Coruche and Golegã regions, respectively. Additionally, a significant correlation was observed between the climatic conditions and the grain nutritional quality components (p < 0.05). The M variety showed the highest ash content, protein content, final viscosity, and setback viscosity and the lowest peak viscosity. The Y variety revealed the lowest fat, fiber, and lutein content and the maximum peak viscosity. The incidence of mycotoxins was notably higher in the varieties from Coruche, which was potentially attributable to higher temperatures and lower precipitation levels leading to more frequent drought conditions. Fumonisin B1 was detected in 58% of the varieties from Coruche and 33% of the samples from Golegã, while deoxynivalenol was found in 87% and 80% of the varieties from Coruche and Golegã, respectively. The H variety, which was harvested in Coruche, exhibited the highest number of fumonisins and higher amounts of protein, lutein, and fat, while fumonisins were not detected in the Golegã region, which was potentially influenced by the precipitation levels. The K variety revealed higher protein and lutein contents, a lower amount of fat, excellent pasting properties (a higher peak viscosity and holding strength and a lower peak time), and no fumonisins B1 or B2. This variety may be considered well adapted to higher temperatures and drier conditions, as verified in the Coruche region. In conclusion, our study underscored the profound impact of environmental factors on the quality and occurrence of mycotoxins in maize varieties. Full article
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14 pages, 2648 KiB  
Article
Quantitative Analysis of Fungal Contamination of Different Herbal Medicines in China
by Gang Wang, Mingyue Jiao, Junqiang Hu, Yiren Xun, Longyun Chen, Jianbo Qiu, Fang Ji, Yin-Won Lee, Jianrong Shi and Jianhong Xu
Toxins 2024, 16(5), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins16050229 - 15 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1263
Abstract
Herbal medicines are widely used for clinical purposes worldwide. These herbs are susceptible to phytopathogenic fungal invasion during the culturing, harvesting, storage, and processing stages. The threat of fungal and mycotoxin contamination requires the evaluation of the health risks associated with these herbal [...] Read more.
Herbal medicines are widely used for clinical purposes worldwide. These herbs are susceptible to phytopathogenic fungal invasion during the culturing, harvesting, storage, and processing stages. The threat of fungal and mycotoxin contamination requires the evaluation of the health risks associated with these herbal medicines. In this study, we collected 138 samples of 23 commonly used herbs from 20 regions in China, from which we isolated a total of 200 phytopathogenic fungi. Through morphological observation and ITS sequencing, 173 fungal isolates were identified and classified into 24 genera, of which the predominant genera were Fusarium (27.74%) and Alternaria (20.81%), followed by Epicoccum (11.56%), Nigrospora (7.51%), and Trichocladium (6.84%). Quantitative analysis of the abundance of both Fusarium and Alternaria in herbal medicines via RT-qPCR revealed that the most abundant fungi were found on the herb Taraxacum mongolicum, reaching 300,000 copies/μL for Fusarium and 700 copies/μL for Alternaria. The in vitro mycotoxin productivities of the isolated Fusarium and Alternaria strains were evaluated by using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and it was found that the Fusarium species mainly produced the acetyl forms of deoxynivalenol, while Alternaria species mainly produced altertoxins. These findings revealed widely distributed fungal contamination in herbal medicines and thus raise concerns for the sake of the quality and safety of herbal medicines. Full article
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