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Advances in Food Toxin Analysis and Risk Assessment
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Advances in Food Toxin Analysis and Risk Assessment

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Toxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2026 | Viewed by 10025

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Pierina Visciano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Via R. Balzarini 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Interests: food safety; risk assessment; veterinary drugs; chemical residues and contaminants; mycotoxins; harmful algal blooms; marine biotoxins; biogenic amines; fermented meats and meat products; fish products; dietary exposure; food microbiology; foodborne pathogens
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, food safety has emerged as a global concern due to the increasing incidence of foodborne illnesses caused by various toxins. These toxins may be natural contaminants such as mycotoxins, marine biotoxins, plant toxins, or introduced through the use of pesticides, veterinary drugs, and intentional adulteration. With advancements in analytical technologies and risk assessment methodologies, the scientific community is set to make significant strides in detecting, mitigating, and managing food toxin risks.

This Special Issue aims to compile cutting-edge research, reviews, and perspectives on recent advances in food toxin analysis and risk control strategies. It seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest technological developments, innovative analytical techniques, and risk assessment models to contribute to enhancing food safety and protecting public health.

This Special Issue invites researchers to submit their original research articles or reviews related to the following topics:

  • Emerging and Confirmation Analytical Techniques: Focus on novel or confirmatory instrumental methods, such as Orbitrap mass spectrometry, chromatography, and biosensors, for sensitive and specific toxin detection.
  • Rapid Screening Methods: Development and validation of rapid tests for on-site or high-throughput screening of food toxins.
  • Advances in Nanotechnology for Food Toxin Detection: Utilization of nanomaterials for enhanced sensitivity and selectivity in toxin analysis.
  • Food Chain Interventions to Reduce Toxin Levels: Exploration of preharvest, harvest, and postharvest practices to minimize toxin accumulation.
  • Risk Assessment and Management of Mycotoxins: Comprehensive approaches to assessing and controlling mycotoxin contamination in agricultural commodities.
  • Marine Biotoxin Monitoring and Mitigation: Strategies for monitoring seafood for the presence of harmful algae blooms and associated toxins and methods to reduce their impact.
  • Data Analytics and Informatics in Food Safety: Application of big data, machine learning, and informatics tools for risk prediction and management of food toxins.

Prof. Dr. Pierina Visciano
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food toxins
  • mycotoxins
  • marine biotoxins
  • analytical techniques
  • risk assessment
  • rapid screening
  • nanotechnology
  • food chain interventions
  • data analytics in food safety

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 7628 KB  
Article
Homogeneity Guarantee of Nickel Reference Material in Soybean Matrix: Influence Mechanism of Particle Size Distribution
by Nuojia Wang, Zengwang Guo, Yanxiang Wu, Jin Ye, Lin Zhu, Yue Wang, Zhongjiang Wang, Songxue Wang and Minghui Zhou
Foods 2026, 15(9), 1513; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15091513 - 27 Apr 2026
Viewed by 283
Abstract
In response to the demand for reference material under the EU Maximum Levels for Nickel (Ni) limit in soybeans (15 mg/kg) in 2024, this study explored the technical difficulty of ensuring the homogeneity of Ni reference material in the soybean matrix. Multi-scale characterization [...] Read more.
In response to the demand for reference material under the EU Maximum Levels for Nickel (Ni) limit in soybeans (15 mg/kg) in 2024, this study explored the technical difficulty of ensuring the homogeneity of Ni reference material in the soybean matrix. Multi-scale characterization (LA-ICP-MS, ICP-MS, FT-IR, etc.) verified that Ni was specifically enriched in embryo and the finer powder (mainly embryo). Based on this finding, we innovatively proposed the span [(D90 − D10)/D50] as a rapid predictor to evaluate homogeneity, offering a potential screening tool to optimize grinding conditions and reduce reliance on time-consuming traditional homogeneity assessments (Ni-RSD by ICP-MS). A positive correlation between span and homogeneity was observed, which was attributed to the inhomogeneous distribution of low-Ni tissue (seed coat). By optimizing the crushing process (hammer cyclone milling, room temperature: 20 °C, 15,000 r/min, ≤ 0.45 mm sieve), a homogeneity uncertainty of 1.00% was obtained. This finding helps in ensuring the homogeneity of reference materials from other high-fat oilseed matrixes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Food Toxin Analysis and Risk Assessment)
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13 pages, 316 KB  
Article
Occurrence, Dietary Exposure Scenarios and Risk Assessment of Aflatoxins from Dried Fruits and Chocolates in Armenia
by Davit Pipoyan, Meline Beglaryan, Yepraqsya Arshakyan and Bagrat Harutyunyan
Foods 2026, 15(8), 1329; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15081329 - 10 Apr 2026
Viewed by 568
Abstract
This study aimed to estimate dietary exposure to aflatoxins (AFs) and characterize its associated risks through the consumption of dried fruits and chocolates among the adult population of Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. Asflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and total AFs were determined using [...] Read more.
This study aimed to estimate dietary exposure to aflatoxins (AFs) and characterize its associated risks through the consumption of dried fruits and chocolates among the adult population of Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. Asflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and total AFs were determined using HPLC in 10 composite samples of widely consumed dried fruits and chocolates, prepared by pooling 100 individual sub-samples into 5 dried fruits and 5 chocolate composites. Individual consumption data were obtained via food frequency questionnaires and were stratified by consumer groups and percentiles. Exposure scenarios (lower-, middle-, upper-bound and detected mean) were applied, and risk was assessed using the margin of exposure (MOE) approach with a BMDL10 of 0.4 μg/kg bw/day. The study findings revealed that dried fruits had higher contamination levels (detected mean content of 10 μg/kg AFB1, 15 μg/kg total AFs) compared to chocolates (detected mean content of 0.5 μg/kg AFB1, and 0.9 μg/kg total AFs), resulting in lower MOE values despite smaller consumption quantities. Detectable AFs in dried fruits from open (street) markets exceeded the EU maximum limits, while Armenia currently lacks national regulatory limits for these products. MOEs were below 10,000 for most consumption groups, indicating a potential public health concern. This research emphasizes the urgent need for continuous monitoring and the establishment of harmonized national regulatory limits for AFs in dried fruits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Food Toxin Analysis and Risk Assessment)
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18 pages, 313 KB  
Article
Prevalence and Exposure Assessment of Alternaria Toxins in Zhejiang Province, China
by Zijie Lu, Ronghua Zhang, Pinggu Wu, Dong Zhao, Jiang Chen, Xiaodong Pan, Jikai Wang, Hexiang Zhang, Xiaojuan Qi, Shufeng Ye and Biao Zhou
Foods 2025, 14(19), 3298; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14193298 - 23 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1234
Abstract
This study aimed to assess the prevalence of four Alternaria toxins (alternariol [AOH], alternariol monomethyl ether [AME], tenuazonic acid [TeA], and tentoxin [TEN]) in various foods and assess the risk of Alternaria-toxin exposure in Zhejiang Province, China. A total of 325 samples [...] Read more.
This study aimed to assess the prevalence of four Alternaria toxins (alternariol [AOH], alternariol monomethyl ether [AME], tenuazonic acid [TeA], and tentoxin [TEN]) in various foods and assess the risk of Alternaria-toxin exposure in Zhejiang Province, China. A total of 325 samples were collected in this study, and at least one type of Alternaria toxin was detected in 53.85% of the samples. Wheat flour had a high detection rate of 97.41%, and TeA was the most prevalent compound in terms of concentration and detection rate. Assessment of Alternaria toxins using the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) method showed that the majority of the population had a low exposure risk. Population-wide dietary exposure assessment suggested a potential health risk for some residents with 95th percentile (P95) assessment values 0.0038, 0.0128, and 0.0047 µg/kg b.w. for AOH from wheat flour and AOH and AME from Coix rice, respectively, exceeding the TTC value of 0.0025 µg/kg b.w. Probabilistic assessment showed that the mean exposure of children aged ≤6 years to AOH via wheat flour for P92 and of those aged 7–12 years for P93 were both 0.0025 µg/kg b.w. Exposures to TeA and TEN were within the acceptable limits (below the TTC value of 1.5 µg/kg b.w.). Age-group probabilistic and point assessments indicated that children aged ≤6 and 7–12 years are at higher exposure risk. This study provides a useful reference for developing limiting values and legislation for Alternaria toxins in food. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Food Toxin Analysis and Risk Assessment)

Review

Jump to: Research

19 pages, 290 KB  
Review
Dynamic Modeling of Pesticide Residue Determination to Ensure Safe Food: A Review
by Shelim Mohammad Jahangir, Kaniz Fahima Rova, Md. Intesar Farhan Labib, M. A. A. Shoukat Choudhury and Mohammad Dalower Hossain Prodhan
Foods 2026, 15(5), 798; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15050798 - 24 Feb 2026
Viewed by 1626
Abstract
The modeling of pesticide phenomena aids researchers and policymakers in reaching complex agricultural decisions. A contemporary global concern among consumers revolves around the presence of pesticide residues in food, which possesses significant threats to human health and non-target organisms. Throughout all parts of [...] Read more.
The modeling of pesticide phenomena aids researchers and policymakers in reaching complex agricultural decisions. A contemporary global concern among consumers revolves around the presence of pesticide residues in food, which possesses significant threats to human health and non-target organisms. Throughout all parts of the world, pesticide concentration in food crops is determined by laboratory analysis. In a limited number of areas, predictions of pesticide concentration are performed by analytical or numerical modeling. In this study, a thorough review of pesticide models for predicting their concentrations is critically performed. Among the 53 papers examined in this study, 31 of them are based on a theoretical concept, four amalgamate empirical data with a theoretical background, ten of them are based on only experimental results, and lastly, eight are discussion articles describing observations from various field studies. Overall, more than 69% of the papers focus on direct pesticide–plant interactions which affect our food chain, while indirect effects on environmental components, especially surface water, also receive attention. To the best of our knowledge, among the limited reviews, this is the first to attempt to accumulate all such modeling information in one place, critically analyze all papers to identify their limitations and scopes, and finally provide future research directions in this area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Food Toxin Analysis and Risk Assessment)
15 pages, 1757 KB  
Review
Arsenic in Water and Food: Toxicity and Human Exposure
by Pierina Visciano
Foods 2025, 14(13), 2229; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14132229 - 24 Jun 2025
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5718
Abstract
Arsenic is a human carcinogen present in drinking water and food, especially rice, rice products and seafood. It can be found in both organic and inorganic forms, the latter being the most toxic. In addition to the carcinogenic effect, exposure to inorganic arsenic [...] Read more.
Arsenic is a human carcinogen present in drinking water and food, especially rice, rice products and seafood. It can be found in both organic and inorganic forms, the latter being the most toxic. In addition to the carcinogenic effect, exposure to inorganic arsenic can cause numerous disorders in different organs/systems of the human body, such as the skin, cardiovascular, neurological, endocrine, immune, and reproductive systems. The risk assessment associated with dietary arsenic is mainly based on the margin of exposure, i.e., the ratio between the dose at which a small but measurable adverse effect may occur and the estimated daily intake of the target substance. It is mainly influenced by arsenic concentrations and consumption data of average or 95th percentile consumers. This review focuses on the toxicity of arsenic, its sources and routes of human exposure, with particular attention to the ingestion of contaminated water and food, considering the differences between age groups and dietary habits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Food Toxin Analysis and Risk Assessment)
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