Special Issue "Occurrence and Integrated Management of Mycotoxins"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Tsitsigiannis
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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855, Athens, Greece
Interests: mycotoxins; plant pathology; plant-microbe interactions; biological control; food safety; Integrated Management; biosensors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agricultural products are frequently contaminated by mycotoxins, which cause the degradation of their quantity and quality and pose potential toxic and carcinogenic effects to humans and animals. Advanced integrated mycotoxin management systems are being developed in order to predict and avoid mycotoxin contamination at pre- or post-harvest stage in several crops. Their main principles rely on the combination of different methods such as 1) biological control using, for example, atoxigenic strains, yeasts, and bacteria, 2) chemical control by application of effective plant protection products, 3) application of predictive models for mycotoxin accumulation, 4) deployment of host resistant/tolerant varieties, 5) implementation of good agricultural practices and 5) the use of innovative methods for in time detection of mycotoxin-contaminated samples, such as biosensors and diagnostic tests.

In order to achieve the aim of developing modern methods for mycotoxin management, one of the most essential guidelines is the investigation of the occurrence and the population structure of mycotoxigenic fungi in the field in relation to the ongoing climate changes that can contribute to a comprehensive recording of the existing situation of the fungal dynamics in fields and orchards.

This Special Issue will cover advances in a combination of several strategies in an Integrated Pest Management program in order to manage successfully the mycotoxin(s) contamination of crops at pre- or post-harvest level in the form of original research or review papers. The contribution of Precision Agriculture and the use of smart systems to predict, detect, diagnose, quantify and finally manage mycotoxins in the field by Decision Support Systems are of ultimate importance in the developed IPM strategies. Finally, articles that describe novel tools like nanobody technologies, molecular technologies, hyperspectral imaging in conjunction with the use of drones that can be incorporated in pre-or post-harvest integrated management systems for mycotoxins are encouraged to be submitted. The application of modern integrated management systems can significantly help establishing food safety and security and raise the public health awareness regarding mycotoxins.

Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Tsitsigiannis
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 papers will be 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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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 2400 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 safety
  • Mycotoxin occurrence
  • Mycotoxin monitoring
  • Integrated Pest Management
  • Biological control
  • Chemical control
  • Host resistance
  • Predictive models
  • Good agricultural practices
  • Smart farming
  • Precision Agriculture
  • Biosensors

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Article
Environmental Conditions Affecting Ochratoxin A during Solar Drying of Grapes: The Case of Tunnel and Open Air-Drying
Toxins 2021, 13(6), 400; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13060400 - 03 Jun 2021
Viewed by 883
Abstract
Drying optimization, to mitigate fungal growth and Ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination is a key topic for raisin and currant production. Specific indicators of environmental conditions and drying properties were analyzed using two seedless grape varieties (Crimson—red and Thompson—white), artificially inoculated [...] Read more.
Drying optimization, to mitigate fungal growth and Ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination is a key topic for raisin and currant production. Specific indicators of environmental conditions and drying properties were analyzed using two seedless grape varieties (Crimson—red and Thompson—white), artificially inoculated with Aspergillus carbonarius under open air and tunnel drying. The air temperature (T), relative humidity, grape surface temperature (Ts) and water activity throughout the drying experiment, the grapes’ moisture content and the fungal colonization and OTA contamination during the drying process and their interactions were recorded and critically analyzed. Drying properties such as the water diffusivity (Deff) and peel resistance to water transfer were estimated. The grapes Ts was 5–7 °C higher in tunnel vs. open air–drying; the infected grapes had higher maximum Ts vs. the control (around 4–6 °C). OTA contamination was higher in tunnel vs. open air–dried grapes, but fungal colonies showed the opposite trend. The Deff was higher in tunnel than in the open air–drying by 54%; the infected grapes had more than 70% higher Deff than the control, differences explained by factors affecting the water transport. This study highlighted CFU and OTA indicators that affect the water availability between red and white grapes during open air and tunnel drying, estimated by the Deff and peel resistance. This raises new issues for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence and Integrated Management of Mycotoxins)
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Article
Incentives to Stimulate European Wheat Farmers to Adapt Their Fusarium Species Mycotoxin Management
Toxins 2021, 13(2), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13020144 - 14 Feb 2021
Viewed by 587
Abstract
Fusarium species infection in wheat can lead to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) and contamination with mycotoxins. To fully exploit more recent insights into FHB and mycotoxin management, farmers might need to adapt their agronomic management, which can be stimulated through incentives. This study [...] Read more.
Fusarium species infection in wheat can lead to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) and contamination with mycotoxins. To fully exploit more recent insights into FHB and mycotoxin management, farmers might need to adapt their agronomic management, which can be stimulated through incentives. This study aimed to identify incentives to stimulate European farmers to adapt their agronomic management to reduce FHB and related mycotoxins in wheat. A questionnaire was distributed among 224 wheat farmers from Italy, the Netherlands, Serbia, and the United Kingdom. Using the respondents’ data, Bayesian Network modelling was applied to estimate the probability that farmers would adapt their current agronomic management under eight different incentives given the conditions set by their farm and farmer characteristics. Results show that most farmers would adapt their current agronomic management under the incentives “paid extra when wheat contains low levels of mycotoxins” and “wheat is tested for the presence of mycotoxins for free”. The most effective incentive depended on farm and farmer characteristics, such as country, crop type, size of arable land, soil type, education, and mycotoxin knowledge. Insights into the farmer characteristics related to incentives can help stakeholders in the wheat supply chain, such as farmer cooperatives and the government, to design tailor-made incentive plans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence and Integrated Management of Mycotoxins)
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