Mycotoxins in food: Occurrence, health implications, and control strategies-A comprehensive review.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review without systematic search methodology or primary data
PubMed 39047955 · doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2024.108038
What was done
The authors conducted a narrative review summarizing the occurrence, health implications, and control strategies for mycotoxins in food. The review outlines the fungal species responsible (including Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium), environmental determinants of toxin production, physiological impacts on humans and livestock, and methods for contamination prevention and chemical/physical detoxification (such as mycotoxin adsorbents).
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative metrics or comparative effect sizes. It qualitatively describes that mycotoxins are rapidly absorbed following ingestion, causing hepatotoxicity, metabolic disorders, reduced food intake, reduced fertility and milk yield, increased abortion risk, and immune impairment in humans and animals. General management strategies discussed center on pre-harvest fungal prevention and post-harvest detoxification methods.
Why it matters
Mycotoxin contamination threatens global food security, human health, and agricultural productivity. Synthesizing known biological risks and absorbent-based detoxification strategies provides a high-level reference for agricultural safety and toxin mitigation.
Limits
As a non-systematic narrative review, it lacks formal inclusion criteria, risk-of-bias evaluation, and meta-analytic synthesis. The abstract provides no quantitative data on human or animal exposure thresholds, toxicological potency variations across specific mycotoxin classes, or the comparative effectiveness of different adsorbent agents.
Cited by
- supports Stachybotrys and Aspergillus are molds that produce and secrete mycotoxins that affect human health.