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Toxins
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Mycotoxins and Spoilage Fungi in Agricultural Products and Foods: Current...
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Mycotoxins and Spoilage Fungi in Agricultural Products and Foods: Current Status and Future Perspectives

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Mycotoxins".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 2131

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xianli Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Agro-Food Standards and Testing Technology, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 1000 Jinqi Road, Shanghai 201403, China
Interests: mycotoxin determination using HPLC-MS/MS and rapid detection method; mycotoxin degradation by photocatalysis and cold plasma; mycotoxin contamination risk assessment; fungi contamination control and food preservation
Prof. Dr. Long Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Interests: biosensors; functional nanomaterials; food safety; anlytical techniques; food analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Longjiao Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, No. 10, Tianxiu Road, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: functional nucleic acids; nanomaterial; food safety; nutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jianhua Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Agro-Food Standards and Testing Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 1000 Jinqi Road, Shanghai 201403, China
Interests: mycotoxins; mycotoxin biosynthesis; food safety; fungi disease; fusarium and fusarium disease; fusarium mycotoxins; microbiology; fungal genetics; fungal population genetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Toxigenic fungi, as major pathogens of crops and horticultural products, cause substantial yield losses annually during both pre- and post-harvest stages. Moreover, some fungi contamination leads to the decay of fruits and vegetables. Beyond agricultural impacts, these fungi threaten food safety by contaminating commodities with hazardous mycotoxins—including aflatoxins, trichothecenes, and patulin—which endanger human and animal health. The co-occurrence of multiple mycotoxins in grains and feed exacerbates global food security challenges, drawing significant attention to their health risks.

This topic focuses on areas including, but not limited to, the following: detection advances, contamination status, and risk assessments of toxigenic fungi and other biotoxins; pathogen detection, disease management, fungal functional genomics, and mycotoxin biosynthesis pathways; and control and detoxification strategies for biocotoxins.

Contributions are invited on novel diagnostic tools, molecular mechanisms, toxicological studies, mitigation technologies, and antimicrobial control technologies. Reviews and original research advancing sustainable solutions for food/feed safety and the protection of crops, fruits, and vegetablesare will be prioritized.

Dr. Xianli Yang
Dr. Long Wu
Dr. Longjiao Zhu
Dr. Jianhua Wang
Guest Editors

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 double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxins is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2700 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

  • mycotoxins
  • spoilage fungi
  • mycotoxin detection
  • mycotoxin toxicology
  • control and detoxification techniques
  • antifungal technologies

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 950 KB  
Article
Natural Occurrence of Conventional and Emerging Fusarium Mycotoxins in Freshly Harvested Wheat Samples in Xinjiang, China
by Weihua Zheng, Jinyi Zhang, Yi Shi, Can He, Xiaolong Zhou, Junxi Jiang, Gang Wang, Jingbo Zhang, Jianhong Xu, Jianrong Shi, Fei Dong and Tao Sun
Toxins 2025, 17(12), 591; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins17120591 - 10 Dec 2025
Viewed by 198
Abstract
Wheat is a major staple crop in Xinjiang, China; however, comprehensive data on Fusarium mycotoxin contamination in wheat from this region remain limited. Despite recent observations of Fusarium head blight (FHB), few studies have characterized the mycotoxin profiles in wheat from Xinjiang, especially [...] Read more.
Wheat is a major staple crop in Xinjiang, China; however, comprehensive data on Fusarium mycotoxin contamination in wheat from this region remain limited. Despite recent observations of Fusarium head blight (FHB), few studies have characterized the mycotoxin profiles in wheat from Xinjiang, especially regarding emerging mycotoxins. This study aimed to systematically investigate the occurrence of both conventional and emerging mycotoxins in freshly harvested wheat from Xinjiang, to evaluate the effects of sampling year and geographical region on mycotoxin contamination levels, and to identify the Fusarium species responsible for mycotoxin production. A total of 151 freshly harvested wheat samples were collected from Southern and Northern Xinjiang in 2023 and 2024. Mycotoxins were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Fusarium isolates were obtained and identified through the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF-1α) gene sequencing. Genotyping was assessed by genotype-specific multiplex PCR, and mycotoxigenic potential was detected by rice culture assays. A high incidence (72.9%) of co-contamination with multiple mycotoxins was observed. Conventional mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) were detected in 31.1% and 41.1% of samples. Notably, emerging mycotoxins, including enniatins (ENNs) and beauvericin (BEA), were present at significantly higher concentrations than those reported in some regions of China. Significant spatiotemporal variation was observed, with markedly higher contamination levels of emerging mycotoxins in 2024, particularly in Northern Xinjiang, where the symptoms of FHB epidemic occurred due to the humid climate and maize–wheat rotation system. Fusarium graminearum was identified as the primary producer of conventional mycotoxins, while F. acuminatum and F. avenaceum were mainly associated with emerging mycotoxins except BEA. This study provides the first comprehensive dataset on the co-occurrence of conventional and emerging Fusarium mycotoxins in wheat from Xinjiang and highlights significant spatiotemporal variations influenced by environmental factors. These findings underscore the necessity for continuous, region-specific monitoring and effective risk management strategies to address the evolving mycotoxin threat in Xinjiang’s wheat. Future research should focus on characterizing the populations of Fusarium toxin-producing fungi and the long-term impacts of mycotoxin exposure on food safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycotoxins and Spoilage Fungi in Agricultural Products and Foods: Current Status and Future Perspectives)
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17 pages, 3170 KB  
Article
Perillaldehyde-Elicited Inhibition of Ochratoxin A Production by Aspergillus carbonarius
by Dongmei Jiang, Liuqing Wang, Nan Jiang, Jiaqi Yan, Jingzhi Mei and Meng Wang
Toxins 2025, 17(11), 530; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins17110530 - 29 Oct 2025
Viewed by 523
Abstract
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a major mycotoxin contaminant in grapes and their products, and Aspergillus carbonarius is its main producer. Controlling the growth of A. carbonarius is therefore critical for mitigating OTA contamination. Plant-derived perillaldehyde, with good antifungal activity and safety, has garnered [...] Read more.
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a major mycotoxin contaminant in grapes and their products, and Aspergillus carbonarius is its main producer. Controlling the growth of A. carbonarius is therefore critical for mitigating OTA contamination. Plant-derived perillaldehyde, with good antifungal activity and safety, has garnered growing attention. However, current understanding of how perillaldehyde affects A. carbonarius growth and OTA production remains poorly characterized. In this study, we systematically investigated the antifungal and antimycotoxigenic effects of perillaldehyde against A. carbonarius and explored the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that perillaldehyde could alter the mycelial morphology and damage the cell integrity of A. carbonarius. Additionally, perillaldehyde could diminish the total antioxidant capacity and impair the energy metabolism of A. carbonarius. Transcriptome analysis showed that the expressions of all the known conserved OTA biosynthetic genes and two OTA transport-related genes were significantly down-regulated, indicating that perillaldehyde could directly inhibit their expression. In conclusion, perillaldehyde can significantly inhibit OTA production by directly disrupting OTA biosynthesis and transport and inhibiting the growth of A. carbonarius. Thus, perillaldehyde has the potential to be used as a natural fungicide or alternative food preservative in grapes and their products, owing to its strong antifungal and antimycotoxigenic effects on A. carbonarius. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycotoxins and Spoilage Fungi in Agricultural Products and Foods: Current Status and Future Perspectives)
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17 pages, 2436 KB  
Article
Integrated Cytotoxicity and Metabolomics Analysis Reveals Cell-Type-Specific Responses to Co-Exposure of T-2 and HT-2 Toxins
by Weihua He, Zuoyin Zhu, Jingru Xu, Chengbao Huang, Jianhua Wang, Qinggong Wang, Xiaohu Zhai and Junhua Yang
Toxins 2025, 17(8), 381; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins17080381 - 30 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1042
Abstract
T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxin are commonly found in agricultural products and animal feed, posing serious effects to both humans and animals. This study employed combination index (CI) modeling and metabolomics to assess the combined cytotoxic effects of T-2 and HT-2 on four [...] Read more.
T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxin are commonly found in agricultural products and animal feed, posing serious effects to both humans and animals. This study employed combination index (CI) modeling and metabolomics to assess the combined cytotoxic effects of T-2 and HT-2 on four porcine cell types: intestinal porcine epithelial cells (IPEC-J2), porcine Leydig cells (PLCs), porcine ear fibroblasts (PEFs), and porcine hepatocytes (PHs). Cell viability assays revealed a dose-dependent reduction in viability across all cell lines, with relative sensitivities in the order: IPEC-J2 > PLCs > PEFs > PHs. Synergistic cytotoxicity was observed at low concentrations, while antagonistic interactions emerged at higher doses. Untargeted metabolomic profiling identified consistent and significant metabolic perturbations in four different porcine cell lines under co-exposure conditions. Notably, combined treatment with T-2 and HT-2 resulted in a uniform downregulation of LysoPC (22:6), LysoPC (20:5), and LysoPC (20:4), implicating disruption of membrane phospholipid integrity. Additionally, glycerophospholipid metabolism was the most significantly affected pathway across all cell lines. Ether lipid metabolism was markedly altered in PLCs and PEFs, whereas PHs displayed a unique metabolic response characterized by dysregulation of tryptophan metabolism. This study identified markers of synergistic toxicity and common alterations in metabolic pathways across four homologous porcine cell types under the combined exposure to T-2 and HT-2 toxins. These findings enhance the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying mycotoxin-induced the synergistic toxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycotoxins and Spoilage Fungi in Agricultural Products and Foods: Current Status and Future Perspectives)
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