Mycotoxins in Agriculture and Food

Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by fungi that colonize crops such as maize, wheat, and peanuts, sometimes at concentrations high enough to cause serious illness in humans and livestock even after food has been processed or cooked. Aflatoxin, one of the most studied, is both a potent carcinogen and a persistent contaminant that costs agricultural economies billions of dollars annually while contributing to liver cancer rates in parts of Africa and Asia. Researchers are working to understand how shifting temperature and humidity patterns under climate change are expanding the geographic range and seasonal window of toxigenic fungi, complicating the regulatory thresholds and monitoring systems that currently govern food supply chains. Key open questions center on developing practical, scalable detoxification strategies and on clarifying the long-term health effects of chronic low-dose exposure, which is the reality for many populations that rely heavily on staple grains.

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Keywords

MycotoxinsToxicologyFungal PathogensFood SafetyAflatoxinHealth Effects