Fungi, Spoilage, and Food Safety

Dear Colleagues,

Fungi are the major food contaminants in the world. They can grow on a wide diversity of crops including cereals, fruits, and vegetables. The proliferation of fungi in field crops and post-harvest products leads to reductions in yield and quality, with significant economic losses. Fungal spoilage can also occur in processed food like bread, wine, juice, fruit puree, jams, meat, and cheese, among other products. Within processed food, the development of mycelia, off-flavors and off-aromas, gases, and turbidity are characteristic of fungal spoilage, which can result in a product of unacceptable quality. Another major concern related to the fungal contamination of food commodities is the production of mycotoxins. They are toxic secondary metabolites produced by some fungi in crops or during the storage, transport, and processing of food and feed commodities, and they pose serious health risks for both humans and animals. A wide range of physical, chemical, and biological methods are applied to control fungal contamination, including green and emerging technologies such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, cold plasma, pulsed light, ultrasound, pulsed electric field, and high-pressure processing. Among them, the use of antifungal compounds continues to be one of the most effective strategies, including fungicides, chemical preservatives, and natural products. Molecular methods like PCR are used to detect and quantify the responsible fungi of food spoilage and mycotoxin production. There are also a wide range of detection and quantification methods for mycotoxins, including chromatography, new technologies using antibodies such as immunoassays, immunosensors, and lateral flow devices, as well as other bioanalytical, electrochemical, and optical techniques. This Special Issue welcomes research on preservation and detection methods available for fungi and innovative analytical methods for the determination of mycotoxins. In addition to classic methods, various innovative methods can significantly improve food safety. Tools and measures to prevent fungi, food spoilage, and mycotoxin contamination are welcome for this Special Issue. Recent research developments on fungi and food spoilage and mycotoxin contamination are also very welcome.

Dr. Pedro Vicente Martínez-Culebras
Guest Editor

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• fungi
• food spoilage
• food safety
• mycotoxin, mycotoxin-producing fungi
• molecular identification
• detection methods