The occurrence and management of fumonisin contamination across the food production and supply chains

Taotao Li; Jiajia Li; Jiasheng Wang; Kathy S Xue; Xinguo Su; Hongxia Qu; Xuewu Duan; Yueming Jiang

doi:10.1016/j.jare.2023.08.001

The occurrence and management of fumonisin contamination across the food production and supply chains

J Adv Res. 2023 Aug 6:S2090-1232(23)00205-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jare.2023.08.001. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Taotao Li¹, Jiajia Li², Jiasheng Wang³, Kathy S Xue⁴, Xinguo Su⁵, Hongxia Qu¹, Xuewu Duan¹, Yueming Jiang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
² College of Tourism and Planning, Pingdingshan University, Pingdingshan 467000, China.
³ Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA. Electronic address: jswang@uga.edu.
⁴ Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
⁵ Tropical Agriculture and Forestry College, Guangdong AIB Polytechnic, No. 198, Yueken Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510507, China.
⁶ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China; College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China. Electronic address: ymjiang@scbg.ac.cn.

PMID: 37544477
DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2023.08.001

Abstract

Background: Fumonisins (FUMs) are among the most common mycotoxins in plant-derived food products. FUMs contamination has considerably impacted human and animal health, while causing significant economic losses. Hence, management of FUMs contamination in food production and supply chains is needed. The toxicities of FUMs have been widely investigated. FUMs management has been reported and several available strategies have been developed successfully to mitigate FUMs contamination present in foods. However, currently available management of FUMs contamination from different phases of food chains and the mechanisms of some major strategies are not comprehensively summarized.

Aim of review: This review comprehensively characterize the occurrence, impacts, and management of FUMs contamination across food production and supply chains. Pre- and post-harvest strategies to prevent FUMs contamination also are reviewed, with an emphasis on the potential applications and the mechanisms of major mitigation strategies. The presence of modified FUMs products and their potential toxic effects are also considered. Importantly, the potential application of biotechnological approaches and emerging technologies are enunciated.

Key scientific concepts of review: Currently available pre- and post-harvest management of FUMs contamination primarily involves prevention and decontamination. Prevention strategies are mainly based on limiting fungal growth and FUMs biosynthesis. Decontamination strategies are implemented through alkalization, hydrolysis, thermal or chemical transformation, and enzymatic or chemical degradation of FUMs. Concerns have been raised about toxicities of modified FUMs derivatives, which presents challenges for reducing FUMs contamination in foods with conventional methodologies. Integrated prevention and decontamination protocols are recommended to control FUMs contamination across entire value chains in developed countries. In developing countries, several other approaches, including cultivating, introducing Bt maize, simple sorting/cleaning, and dehulling, are suggested. Future studies should focus on biotechnological approaches, emerging technologies, and metagenomic/genomic identification of new degradation enzymes that could allow better opportunities to manage FUMs contamination in the entire food system.

Keywords: Biotechnology; Control strategies; Decontamination; Food safety; Fumonisins; Mycotoxins.

Publication types

Review