Mycotoxin Exposure in Humans and the Environment: An Integrated Approach

Dear Colleagues,

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), access to safe food is essential for promoting good health and preventing disease. Despite substantial efforts made by different authorities to enhance safety in food chains, the prevalence of foodborne diseases remains a significant challenge for health and sustainable economic development.

The globalization of trade, need to meet food demands of the growing global population, and impacts of climate change necessitate the strengthening of national and global capacities to prevent and respond to food threats, guaranteeing food safety. The One Health multidisciplinary approach to health helps to ascertain the presence of chemical pollutants, such as mycotoxins, both in food and the environment, and their impact on global health. Although health, food, water, and the environment present distinct challenges, this horizontal health approach contributes to global health protection, promoting food safety and public health.

Mycotoxins, xenobiotics of biological origin, are secondary metabolites of fungi, mainly found in cereals and derived foods. Given their toxicity, they represent a significant threat worldwide, making it essential to deepen knowledge on this topic to support decision making regarding food safety and public health. While an abundance of research has been conducted on the analysis of mycotoxins in food matrices and human exposure, environmental exposure to mycotoxins has seldom been investigated.

This Special Issue welcomes both original research articles and comprehensive reviews. It aims to explore current knowledge on mycotoxin exposure, both in humans and the environment, covering the following topics: its occurrence and risk assessment in foods and the environment; its toxicology and ecotoxicology; its bioaccessibility and bioavailability; and reduction studies. We particularly seek the use of novel methodologies to study these research topics.

Dr. Liliana J.G. Silva
Dr. André Pereira
Dr. Angelina Pena
Guest Editors

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