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Toxins
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Mycotoxin Occurrence, Toxicology, and Effects on Animals, Animal Feeds and...
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Mycotoxin Occurrence, Toxicology, and Effects on Animals, Animal Feeds and Detoxification Methods

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 August 2026 | Viewed by 1894

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Miao Long

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, 120 Dongling Road, Shenyang 110866, China
Interests: mycotoxin; toxicology; detoxification; feeds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Peng Liao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, Hunan, China
Interests: mycotoxins; gut immunity; intestinal health; intestinal macrophages; nutritional intervention
Prof. Dr. Yi Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Interests: veterinary toxicopathology; toxic mechanisms in animals; environmental toxicology; oxidative stress and redox biology; toxicity prevention and control strategies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mycotoxins, toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi, pose a persistent and significant global threat to animal health, welfare, and productivity, while also impacting feed safety and security. Their ubiquitous occurrence in a wide range of agricultural commodities necessitates continuous monitoring and understanding. This Special Issue, " Mycotoxin Occurrence, Toxicology, and Effects on Animals, Animal Feeds and Detoxification Methods," aims to gather cutting-edge research and comprehensive reviews addressing the multifaceted challenges of mycotoxins. We welcome contributions that investigate the occurrence and emerging trends in mycotoxins globally, elucidate their complex toxicological mechanisms in various animal species, document their detrimental effects on animal physiology, immunity, reproduction, and performance, and critically evaluate the quality and safety of contaminated feeds. Furthermore, high priority is given to innovative and effective detoxification strategies, including physical, chemical, biological, and novel approaches for mycotoxin mitigation in feeds and feed ingredients. This collection seeks to advance scientific knowledge and promote practical solutions for managing mycotoxin risks in the feed-to-animal food chain.

Prof. Dr. Miao Long
Dr. Peng Liao
Dr. Yi Zhao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxins is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mycotoxins
  • occurrence
  • toxicology
  • animal health
  • feed safety
  • toxicity mechanisms
  • detoxification methods
  • feed contaminants
  • biodegradation
  • adsorbents

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 5339 KB  
Article
Purified Zearalenone at the Regulatory Limit Exhibits No Overt Toxicity in Broilers
by Ying Liu, Wanjun Zhang, Qiaomin Duan, Sunlin Luo, Wenjun He, Wei Nie, Wenjun Yang and Yiqiang Chen
Toxins 2026, 18(2), 102; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins18020102 - 18 Feb 2026
Viewed by 522
Abstract
Zearalenone (ZEA) is a prevalent non-steroidal estrogenic mycotoxin in feed and feedstuffs. This study investigated the effects of graded dietary purified ZEA standard (0, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 mg/kg) on growth performance, blood biochemistry, oxidative stress, immune response, intestinal morphology, histopathology, [...] Read more.
Zearalenone (ZEA) is a prevalent non-steroidal estrogenic mycotoxin in feed and feedstuffs. This study investigated the effects of graded dietary purified ZEA standard (0, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 mg/kg) on growth performance, blood biochemistry, oxidative stress, immune response, intestinal morphology, histopathology, and gut microbiota in broilers. The use of purified ZEA standard eliminates confounding effects from co-occurring contaminants and the reduced nutritional quality of naturally contaminated feed, allowing an accurate assessment of ZEA-specific effects. A total of 216 one-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers were randomly allocated into six treatment groups, each with six replicates of six birds, for a 42-day trial. At the regulatory limit (0.5 mg/kg) and below, no overt toxic effects were observed on growth performance, hematology, or serum biochemistry. Although alterations in oxidative stress markers, specifically decreased liver superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and reduced ileal glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, and in immune markers, including increased interleukin-2 (IL-2) levels in the jejunum and ileum and decreased ileal interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels, were observed at 0.2–0.5 mg/kg, these changes did not cause tissue damage or functional impairment. Toxicological alterations emerged only at higher doses (1–4 mg/kg), comprising impaired jejunal morphology and moderate lung secretory cell metaplasia. The highest dose (4 mg/kg) further induced severe renal tubular degeneration and necrosis, accompanied by significant disruption of the jejunal microbiota. In conclusion, these findings indicate that purified ZEA at the regulatory limit exhibits no overt toxicity in broilers, although higher contamination levels pose clear risks to intestinal, pulmonary, and renal health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycotoxin Occurrence, Toxicology, and Effects on Animals, Animal Feeds and Detoxification Methods)
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26 pages, 3874 KB  
Article
Influence of Climatic Region and Feedstuff Type on the Co-Occurrence and Contamination Profiles of 54 Mycotoxins in European Grains and Forages: A Seven-Year Survey
by Alexandra C. Weaver, Daniel M. Weaver, Luiz V. F. M. de Carvalho and Alexandros Yiannikouris
Toxins 2026, 18(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins18010005 - 20 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 857
Abstract
Mycotoxins are global contaminants of feedstuffs and feeds that are linked to animal health and performance challenges and subsequently lead to economic burden. Negative effects of mycotoxin consumption may increase as a result of multiple mycotoxin co-occurrences. To assess mycotoxin challenge in Europe, [...] Read more.
Mycotoxins are global contaminants of feedstuffs and feeds that are linked to animal health and performance challenges and subsequently lead to economic burden. Negative effects of mycotoxin consumption may increase as a result of multiple mycotoxin co-occurrences. To assess mycotoxin challenge in Europe, a seven-year survey (2018 to 2024) of 1867 samples of grains (barley, maize, and wheat) and 818 forages (maize silage and grass silage) was conducted to assess the simultaneous presence of 54 mycotoxins using ultra-pressure liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Results were categorized by feedstuff, harvest year, and climatic region to gain insight on mycotoxin occurrence, concentration and co-occurrence. Grains contained a mean 3.6 to 6.7 mycotoxin types per sample, while silages contained 3.1 to 6.0. Barley in the Nordic climate region had some of the highest Fusarium mycotoxin concentrations, while maize silage had consistently higher mycotoxin concentrations across all climate regions. The B trichothecenes and emerging mycotoxins had the highest rates of co-occurrence (52.4% to 74.2% of samples) in grains and maize silage. Co-occurrence data can serve as an initial framework for identifying or reasserting known environmental conditions that favor mycotoxin biosynthesis in distinct fungal taxa and for refining risk assessment of animals simultaneously exposed to multiple mycotoxins. Collectively, this survey shows that mycotoxin contamination and co-occurrence in grains and silages from Europe is expected, with differences occurring by feedstuff type and climatic region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycotoxin Occurrence, Toxicology, and Effects on Animals, Animal Feeds and Detoxification Methods)
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