Fusarium Species and Their Mycotoxins in Cereal Food

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2025 | Viewed by 3087

Special Issue Editors

SIBS-UGENT-SJTU Joint Laboratory of Mycotoxin Research, CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200030, China
Interests: mycotoxin; mass spectrometry detection technology; rapid detection; contamination control; risk assessment; food safety
Division of Chemical Toxicity and Safety Assessment, Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, China
Interests: mycotoxin; mass spectrometry detection technology; contamination control; toxicity intervention; food quality and safety assessment
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fusarium is one of the major disease-causing organisms of crops. Moreover, they produce mycotoxins, which are toxic secondary metabolites. Mycotoxins have been found to be prevalent in cereals and organisms. They are considered a threat to agriculture, food and feed chains, and human and animal health. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of mycotoxin synthesis, contamination status, health hazards, and risk assessment has become a very important issue.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide an overview of the latest developments and applications in the above-mentioned research areas. It showcases the latest research advances and/or the current status of innovative approaches, methods, and technologies, focusing on the contamination and hazard control of Fusarium and mycotoxins, as well as changes in the occurrence and distribution of mycotoxins as a result of changing environmental conditions.

This Special Issue invites original research and review articles that address advances and trends in a variety of aspects of mycotoxins, including source and synthesis, detection and distribution, metabolism and transformation, mechanisms of action and effects, evaluation and management, and control and detoxification.

Dr. Na Liu
Dr. Song Yu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Fusarium species
  • mycotoxins
  • synthetic regulation
  • fast detection method
  • contamination
  • internal exposure risk assessment
  • toxicity mechanism
  • biological control
  • new challenges and trends

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 235 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Wheat Grain and Processing Quality Under Fusarium Head Blight Control Using Strong Oxidizing Radicals
by Huanhuan Zhang, Bo Zhang, Huagang He, Lulu Zhang, Xinkang Hu and Chundu Wu
Foods 2025, 14(7), 1236; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14071236 - 1 Apr 2025
Viewed by 427
Abstract
Wheat plays a crucial role in global food security; however, in recent years, Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) has severely impacted both wheat yield and quality. Strong oxidative free radicals, with high oxidation potential and rapid reaction rates, offer an effective approach for pollutant [...] Read more.
Wheat plays a crucial role in global food security; however, in recent years, Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) has severely impacted both wheat yield and quality. Strong oxidative free radicals, with high oxidation potential and rapid reaction rates, offer an effective approach for pollutant degradation and microbial inactivation. In this study, the control effect of strong oxidizing radicals on FHB was evaluated by comparing the untreated control group (JM23), which was infected with FHB, to the experimental group (FG06), which was treated with strong oxidizing radicals following FHB infection. The results show that FG06 achieved a control effectiveness of 87.87%. The study also assessed grain characteristics and milling quality. Statistical analysis revealed that FG06 had a slightly lower flour extraction rate (71.24%) compared to the control wheat (JM23), but it exhibited competitive flour whiteness (81.30) and a gluten index of 85.50%. The dough stability at 10 min was 27.00 FE, while several gelatinization parameters were significantly lower than JM23. However, FG06 had higher protein content (10.94%), flour protein content (10.70%), ash content (0.58%), wet gluten content (28.70%), dry gluten content (9.40%), and sedimentation value (73.00 mL), all significantly higher than those of JM23. Additionally, FG06 had a gelatinization temperature of 68.61 °C, similar to JM23. Overall, Strong oxidizing radicals as an alternative to conventional pesticides not only effectively controls FHB but also maintains or even enhances wheat milling and processing quality, promoting more sustainable agricultural practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fusarium Species and Their Mycotoxins in Cereal Food)
12 pages, 13233 KiB  
Article
Resveratrol Alleviates Fumonisin B1-Induced Cytotoxicity in Sertoli Cells
by Song Yu, Lianpeng Zou, Jiawei Zhao and Yiping Zhu
Foods 2024, 13(23), 3810; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13233810 - 26 Nov 2024
Viewed by 716
Abstract
Fumonisin B1 is a common food contaminant that has been found to adversely affect the reproductive system, especially Sertoli cells. However, the potential mitigation of FB1-induced cytotoxicity in Sertoli cells has not been fully elaborated. Resveratrol is a natural substance with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, [...] Read more.
Fumonisin B1 is a common food contaminant that has been found to adversely affect the reproductive system, especially Sertoli cells. However, the potential mitigation of FB1-induced cytotoxicity in Sertoli cells has not been fully elaborated. Resveratrol is a natural substance with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-tumor properties. Herein, the protective effects of resveratrol against FB1-induced cytotoxicity in Sertoli cells were examined in this work. The mouse Sertoli cell line (TM4) was used as a research model. These results indicated that FB1 (40 μM and 80 μM) significantly reduces cell viability, disrupts the cell barrier, and induces an inflammatory response in TM4 cells. To our surprise, resveratrol (15 μM) showed an ability to reverse adverse effects induced by FB1 (40 μM). Furthermore, resveratrol could alleviate the FB1-induced apoptosis, decrease ROS level, and promote the antioxidant enzymes (CAT and SOD2) expression in FB1-treated TM4 cells. The addition of resveratrol could mitigate FB1-induced promoted phosphorylation of JNK and upregulation of c-jun expression. Interestingly, resveratrol was also able to mitigate the cytotoxicity of FB2 (40 μM), FB3 (40 μM), and an FB1-FB2-FB3 (40 μM-40 μM-40 μM) combination group on TM4 cells. In summary, this research displayed that resveratrol may alleviate fumonisin B1-induced cytotoxicity in Sertoli cells via inhibiting oxidative stress-mediated JNK/c-jun signaling pathway-induced apoptosis. This study provides new insights into the prevention and treatment of FB1-induced testicular toxicity and highlights the potential application value of resveratrol. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fusarium Species and Their Mycotoxins in Cereal Food)
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Review

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18 pages, 1379 KiB  
Review
Recent Progress of Mycotoxin in Various Food Products—Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessment
by Kailin Li, Hua Cai, Baozhang Luo, Shenggang Duan, Jingjin Yang, Nan Zhang, Yi He, Aibo Wu and Hong Liu
Foods 2025, 14(5), 865; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14050865 - 3 Mar 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1660
Abstract
Mycotoxins, as prevalent contaminants in the food chain, exhibit diverse toxicological effects on both animals and humans. Chronic dietary exposure to mycotoxin-contaminated foods may result in the bioaccumulation of these toxins, posing substantial public health risks. This review systematically examines the contamination patterns [...] Read more.
Mycotoxins, as prevalent contaminants in the food chain, exhibit diverse toxicological effects on both animals and humans. Chronic dietary exposure to mycotoxin-contaminated foods may result in the bioaccumulation of these toxins, posing substantial public health risks. This review systematically examines the contamination patterns of mycotoxins across major food categories, including cereals and related products, animal-derived foods, fruits, and medical food materials. Furthermore, we critically evaluated two methodological frameworks for assessing mycotoxin exposure risks: (1) dietary exposure models integrating contamination levels and consumption data and (2) human biomonitoring approaches quantifying mycotoxin biomarkers in biological samples. A key contribution lies in the stratified analysis of exposure disparities among population subgroups (adults, teenagers, children, and infants). Additionally, we summarize current research on the relationship between human mycotoxin biomonitoring and associated health impacts, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and infants. By elucidating the challenges inherent in existing studies, this synthesis provides a roadmap for advancing risk characterization and evidence-based food safety interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fusarium Species and Their Mycotoxins in Cereal Food)
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