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Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2023Cereal grains serve as the cornerstone of global nutrition, providing a significant portion of humanity's caloric requirements. However, the presence of fungal genera,... (Review)
Review
Cereal grains serve as the cornerstone of global nutrition, providing a significant portion of humanity's caloric requirements. However, the presence of fungal genera, such , , , and , known for their mycotoxin-producing abilities, presents a significant threat to human health due to the adverse effects of these toxins. The primary objective of this study was to identify the predominant fungal contaminants in cereal grains utilized in breadmaking, as well as in flour and bread. Moreover, a systematic review, including meta-analysis, was conducted on the occurrence and levels of mycotoxins in wheat flour from the years 2013 to 2023. The genera most frequently reported were , followed by , , and . Among the published reports, the majority focused on the analysis of Deoxynivalenol (DON), which garnered twice as many reports compared to those focusing on Aflatoxins, Zearalenone, and Ochratoxin A. The concentration of these toxins, in most cases determined by HPLC-MS/MS or HPLC coupled with a fluorescence detector (FLD), was occasionally observed to exceed the maximum limits established by national and/or international authorities. The prevalence of mycotoxins in flour samples from the European Union (EU) and China, as well as in foods intended for infants, exhibited a significant reduction compared to other commercial flours assessed by a meta-analysis investigation.
PubMed: 38231837
DOI: 10.3390/foods12234328 -
Chemico-biological Interactions Aug 2023Citrinin (CIT) is a polyketide-derived mycotoxin, which is produced by many fungal strains belonging to the gerena Monascus, Aspergillus, and Penicillium. It has been... (Review)
Review
Citrinin (CIT) is a polyketide-derived mycotoxin, which is produced by many fungal strains belonging to the gerena Monascus, Aspergillus, and Penicillium. It has been postulated that mycotoxins have several toxic mechanisms and are potentially used as antineoplastic agents. Therefore, the present study carried out a systematic review, including articles from 1978 to 2022, by collecting evidence in experimental studies of CIT antiplorifactive activity in cancer. The Data indicate that CIT intervenes in important mediators and cell signaling pathways, including MAPKs, ERK1/2, JNK, Bcl-2, BAX, caspases 3,6,7 and 9, p53, p21, PARP cleavage, MDA, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defenses (SOD, CAT, GST and GPX). These factors demonstrate the potential antitumor drug CIT in inducing cell death, reducing DNA repair capacity and inducing cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in cancer cells.
Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Citrinin; Neoplasms; Humans; Animals; Cell Lineage; Cell Death
PubMed: 37230156
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2023.110561 -
Heliyon Nov 2023Essential oils (EOs) are natural products called volatile oils or aromatic and ethereal oils derived from various parts of plants. They possess antioxidant and... (Review)
Review
Essential oils (EOs) are natural products called volatile oils or aromatic and ethereal oils derived from various parts of plants. They possess antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, which offer natural protection against a variety of pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. Studies conducted in the last decade have demonstrated the unique applications of these compounds in the fields of the food industry, agriculture, and skin health. This systematic article provides a summary of recent data pertaining to the effectiveness of EOs and their constituents in combating fungal pathogens through diverse mechanisms. Antifungal investigations involving EOs were conducted on multiple academic platforms, including Google Scholar, Science Direct, Elsevier, Springer, Scopus, and PubMed, spanning from April 2000 to October 2023. Various combinations of keywords, such as "essential oil," "volatile oils," "antifungal," and " species," were used in the search. Numerous essential oils have demonstrated both and antifungal activity against different species of , including , , A. , A. , and A. ochraceus. They have also exhibited efficacy against other fungal species, such as species, , and Alternaria. The findings of this study offer novel insights into inhibitory pathways and suggest the potential of essential oils as promising agents with antifungal and anti-mycotoxigenic properties. These properties could make them viable alternatives to conventional preservatives, thereby enhancing the shelf life of various food products.
PubMed: 37954273
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21386 -
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science... May 2024There is still considerable controversy about the relative risk of mycotoxin exposure associated with the consumption of organic and conventional cereals. Using... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
There is still considerable controversy about the relative risk of mycotoxin exposure associated with the consumption of organic and conventional cereals. Using validated protocols, we carried out a systematic literature review and meta-analyses of data on the incidence and concentrations of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium, Claviceps, Penicillium, and Aspergillus species in organic and conventional cereal grains/products. The standard weighted meta-analysis of concentration data detected a significant effect of production system (organic vs. conventional) only for the Fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol, with concentrations ∼50% higher in conventional than organic cereal grains/products (p < 0.0001). Weighted meta-analyses of incidence data and unweighted meta-analyses of concentration data also detected small, but significant effects of production system on the incidence and/or concentrations of T-2/HT-2 toxins, zearalenone, enniatin, beauvericin, ochratoxin A (OTA), and aflatoxins. Multilevel meta-analyses identified climatic conditions, cereal species, study type, and analytical methods used as important confounding factors for the effects of production system. Overall, results from this study suggest that (i) Fusarium mycotoxin contamination decreased between the 1990s and 2020, (ii) contamination levels are similar in organic and conventional cereals used for human consumption, and (iii) maintaining OTA concentrations below the maximum contamination levels (3.0 μg/kg) set by the EU remains a major challenge.
Topics: Edible Grain; Mycotoxins; Food Contamination; Fusarium; Food, Organic
PubMed: 38720588
DOI: 10.1111/1541-4337.13363 -
Medical Mycology Jun 2024The World Health Organization, in response to the growing burden of fungal disease, established a process to develop a fungal pathogen priority list. This systematic...
The World Health Organization, in response to the growing burden of fungal disease, established a process to develop a fungal pathogen priority list. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the epidemiology and impact of infections caused by Talaromyces marneffei, Coccidioides species, and Paracoccidioides species. PubMed and Web of Sciences databases were searched to identify studies published between 1 January 2011 and 23 February 2021 reporting on mortality, complications and sequelae, antifungal susceptibility, preventability, annual incidence, and trends. Overall, 25, 17, and 6 articles were included for T. marneffei, Coccidioides spp. and Paracoccidioides spp., respectively. Mortality rates were high in those with invasive talaromycosis and paracoccidioidomycosis (up to 21% and 22.7%, respectively). Hospitalization was frequent in those with coccidioidomycosis (up to 84%), and while the duration was short (mean/median 3-7 days), readmission was common (38%). Reduced susceptibility to fluconazole and echinocandins was observed for T. marneffei and Coccidioides spp., whereas >88% of T. marneffei isolates had minimum inhibitory concentration values ≤0.015 μg/ml for itraconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole. Risk factors for mortality in those with talaromycosis included low CD4 counts (odds ratio 2.90 when CD4 count <200 cells/μl compared with 24.26 when CD4 count <50 cells/μl). Outbreaks of coccidioidomycosis and paracoccidioidomycosis were associated with construction work (relative risk 4.4-210.6 and 5.7-times increase, respectively). In the United States of America, cases of coccidioidomycosis increased between 2014 and 2017 (from 8232 to 14 364/year). National and global surveillance as well as more detailed studies to better define sequelae, risk factors, outcomes, global distribution, and trends are required.
Topics: Talaromyces; Humans; Paracoccidioides; Antifungal Agents; Coccidioides; World Health Organization; Mycoses; Paracoccidioidomycosis; Coccidioidomycosis; Microbial Sensitivity Tests
PubMed: 38935909
DOI: 10.1093/mmy/myad133