Microbiological Decontamination of Mycotoxins

 Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi that contaminate both plant raw materials and products of plant and animal origin. There are over 400 compounds that can be identified as mycotoxins. Unfortunately, this contamination of food products of both plant and animal origin can cause acute or chronic poisoning in various forms called mycotoxins with prolonged exposure. This poisoning can cause liver and kidney damage, interfere with the functioning of the digestive tract and immune system. Can exhibit carcinogenic, mutagenic, and neurogenic properties. Although mycotoxins seem to be a very large problem there are not many regulations set in place. The European Union (EU) to protect public health established maximum acceptable  levels or limits of mycotoxins permitted in foodstuffs based on the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).  Other countries which follow similar regulations although not covering a wide range of mycotoxins and product categories are the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, and China. Even with these regulations there are over 500 notifications of excessive mycotoxin levels in food per year. Also according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) up to 25% of world wide food crops are significantly contaminated with mycotoxins. 

In the article, the main point was to discuss the use of microorganisms (or their enzymes) to detoxify mycotoxins. To generate new possibilities in the food and feed production. An emphasis on Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and lactic acid bacteria.  As was mentioned earlier, even with regulations there is still a significant number of crops contaminated by mycotoxins. The article stated that in order to solve this problem control strategies would need to be implemented. There are two major control strategies of mycotoxin contamination: The prevention strategies and the decontamination strategies which are employed at different stages of the production process. There are two main methods of microbiological decontamination which include adsorption and biotransformation. Adsorption to the cell wall compounds (peptidoglycan and glucomannan). Biotransformation to less toxic or non-toxic compounds due to the expression of appropriate enzymes. 

The results of the study show that lactic acid bacteria and yeast would yield the best results at microbiological decontamination. Lactic acid bacteria are of potential interest due to their beneficial physiological effects on human and animal health. Also their ability to bind mutagen from food and the environment is favorable. Yeast has strains such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae with important potential applications as they are widely used in many biotechnological processes. These processes include baking, brewing, winemaking, and distilling. Several studies referenced in the article have shown that yeast can effectively remove different mycotoxins from plant derived raw materials during fermentation and in model conditions from microbiological media. Unfortunately although, decontamination of food using microorganisms may have its advantages, there are no legal regulations concerning the decontamination of food and thus can not be used in real world settings. 


Adyelis M. Colon Martinez (3)


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8619243/


Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 2, 2022 at 2:09 PM

    Hi Adyelis! I thought you blog post was really interesting to read. I did not know that mycotoxin contamination was such a prominent issue that could cause so many issues. If there are not that many regulations in the first place, does that mean that the issue is not as dire or dangerous? and if decontamination involves processes such as brewing, winemaking, and fermentation, how do you decontaminate raw crops and foods as is?
    - Alissa N

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    Replies
    1. Adyelis M. Colon MartinezNovember 7, 2022 at 9:33 AM

      Hello Alissa!

      It is absolutely a very important issue that unfortunately not many people are aware of or know about. The limited amount of regulations is due to the difficulty of fixing the problem. All of the methods of decontamination I mentioned in the blog post take money, time, and effort that companies do not want to waste. In terms or the second question brewing, winemaking, and fermentation were just some examples of the decontamination with the use of yeast only. Prevention strategies and other decontamination methods such as with the use of lactic acid can be used on raw crops and foods.

      - Adyelis M. Colon Martinez

      Delete
  2. AnonymousNovember 2, 2022 at 7:45 PM

    Hi Adyelis! I never thought about mycotoxin before. Is there a way for the general public to detect mycotoxin in their food and what measures they can take to prevent contamination?
    - Tiffany Pham

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adyelis M. Colon MartinezNovember 7, 2022 at 9:36 AM

      Hello Tiffany!

      Unfortunately I’m not sure if there is a way for the general public to detect mycotoxins in their food. I believe that there is no method for the general public to test for mycotoxins. As for the second question the general public can’t prevent contamination as by the time the public has access to these food products they are already contaminated. The contamination occurs in the farming process and can only be prevented in the beginning stages.

      - Adyelis M. Colon Martinez

      Delete

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