Mycotoxins in Feed and Food and the Role of Ozone in Their Detoxification and Degradation: An Update

Abstract

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by some filamentous fungi, which can cause toxicity in animal species, including humans. Because of their high toxicological impacts, mycotoxins have received significant consideration, leading to the definition of strict legislative thresholds and limits in many areas of the world. Mycotoxins can reduce farm profits not only through reduced crop quality and product refusal, but also through a reduction in animal productivity and health. This paper briefly addresses the impacts of mycotoxin contamination of feed and food on animal and human health, and describes the main pre- and post-harvest systems to control their levels, including genetic, agronomic, biological, chemical, and physical methods. It so highlights (i) the lack of effective and straightforward solutions to control mycotoxin contamination in the field, at pre-harvest, as well as later post-harvest; and (ii) the increasing demand for novel methods to control mycotoxin infections, intoxications, and diseases, without leaving toxic chemical residues in the food and feed chain. Thus, the broad objective of the present study was to review the literature on the use of ozone for mycotoxin decontamination, proposing this gaseous air pollutant as a powerful tool to detoxify mycotoxins from feed and food.

Keywords: crop systems; decontamination; ozonation; pre- and post-harvest strategies.

Figure 1

Pre- and post-harvest systems for the prevention and decontamination of mycotoxins in the food and feed chain.

Figure 2

A summary of ozonation effects on fungal cells resulting in their inactivation.

Figure 3

Distribution of relevant studies (total = 673) published between 2010 and 2019, selected using the online versions of ScienceDirect and Scopus, and searching for the terms “ozone” or “oxidant agent”, and “mycotoxins”, “aflatoxins” or “trichothecenes”, and “food” or “feed”.

Figure 4

Proposed mechanism for the addition of ozone to aflatoxin B₁ (A) and B₂ (B) and trichothecene (C).