Impact of Climate Change on Fungal Population and Mycotoxins
A topical collection in Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This collection belongs to the section "Mycotoxins".
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Editors
Dr. Felipe Penagos-Tabares
Dr. Felipe Penagos-Tabares
E-Mail
Website
Guest Editor
1. CIBAV Research Group, Veterinary Medicine School, Faculty of Agrarian Sciences, Universidad de Antioquia, UdeA, Medellín 050034, Colombia
2. Agromed Austria GmbH, 4550 Kremsmünster, Austria
3. PatentCo., 24 211 Mišićevo, Serbia
Interests: mycotoxin risk assessmen; feed and food safety; toxicology; animal nutrition; feed contaminants
Prof. Dr. Rudolf Krska
Prof. Dr. Rudolf Krska
E-Mail
Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Agrobiotechnology, IFA-Tulln, Institute of Bioanalytics and Agro-Metabolomics, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), 3430 Tulln, Austria
2. Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University, Belfast, UK
3. Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety & Innovation (FFoQSI GmbH), Tulln, Austria
Interests: analytical determination of mycotoxins and analytes in feeds; foods and biological matrices; food toxicology; bioanalytics; global food security
Topical Collection Information
Dear Colleagues,
In a world with an ever-growing population, climate change threatens the food supply from several fronts. The climate is crucial in driving the structures of the fungal community and the mycotoxin contamination levels pre- and post-harvest. Long-term shifts in the temperature and the increased frequency of extreme weather events can impact plant–fungi (symbiotic or parasitic) interactions, with the possibility of higher levels and/or uncommon patterns of co-occurring mycotoxins. It is essential to explore the effects of geo-climatic patterns (such as geographic location, temperature, humidity, and rainfall, among others) on the occurrence of mycotoxins and other secondary fungal metabolites in feeds and foods along supply chains.
This Special Issue intends to support the divulgation of studies exploring the role of climate change and its related parameters in fungi growth, proliferation, and toxicogenesis in crops, as well as the feeds and foods produced thereof.
We invite our colleagues exploring this field to share their valuable investigations on toxins and contribute new data on this scarcely explored, but highly relevant, area.
Dr. Felipe Penagos-Tabares
Prof. Dr. Rudolf Krska
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- mycotoxins
- climate change
- temperature
- humidity
- rainfall
- fungal biology
- fungal community
- toxigenic fungi
- drought stress
Published Papers (6 papers)
Open AccessArticle
Implantation of Aspergillus Section Flavi in French Maize and Consequences on Aflatoxin Contamination of Maize at Harvest: Three-Year Survey
by
Sylviane Bailly, Anwar El Mahgubi, Olivier Puel, Sophie Lorber, Jean-Denis Bailly and Béatrice Orlando
Viewed by 409
Abstract
The worldwide distribution of aflatoxin B1, a carcinogenic mycotoxin, is changing due to climate change. This frequent contaminant of crops in tropical and subtropical regions is an emerging threat in Europe. Its first appearance in French maize was reported in 2015, a year
[...] Read more.
The worldwide distribution of aflatoxin B1, a carcinogenic mycotoxin, is changing due to climate change. This frequent contaminant of crops in tropical and subtropical regions is an emerging threat in Europe. Its first appearance in French maize was reported in 2015, a year with exceptional climatic conditions. But, from this year, such conditions (drought during spring and hot summers) occurred regularly, raising the question of a possible durable implantation of aflatoxigenic fungal species in French maize fields. To answer this question, 554 maize samples were collected during three consecutive years (2018–2020) throughout the French territory. They were subjected to mycological analysis and strains belonging to the
Flavi section of the
Aspergillus genus were identified, and their toxigenic potential was determined. This survey demonstrates that
Aspergillus section
Flavi are now frequent contaminants of maize since they were observed in more than 50% of samples in 2018 and 2019. This prevalence sharply increased in 2020 to reach 80% contamination. In parallel, the frequency of contamination with aflatoxins also increased. While it was very limited during the first two years of the study, despite favorable climatic conditions, contamination with aflatoxins was present in 16% of samples analyzed in 2020, exceeding E.U. regulation by 5%. Even if
Aspergillus flavus is the dominant species, representing more than 90% of isolated strains,
Aspergillus parasiticus seems to play a major role in grain contamination, as demonstrated by the presence of AFG in 50% of contaminated samples. These findings highlight the need to rethink the monitoring and management of aflatoxin risk in France for the future.
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Open AccessArticle
Microbiological and Mycotoxicological Quality of Common Wheat in Romania in the Extremely Dry 2023–2024 Agricultural Year
by
Valeria Gagiu, Elena Mirela Cucu, Alina Alexandra Dobre, Gina Pusa Pirvu, Oana Alexandra Oprea, Cristian Mihai Pomohaci, Elena Mateescu, Nastasia Belc and Doru Ioan Marin
Viewed by 1928
Abstract
This study examines the microbiological and mycotoxicological quality of common wheat in Romania in the extremely dry 2023–2024 agricultural year. Common wheat grown in the West Plain, Southern Hilly Area, Transylvania, and northern Moldavia (45–48° N, 21–27° E) had higher moisture content, water
[...] Read more.
This study examines the microbiological and mycotoxicological quality of common wheat in Romania in the extremely dry 2023–2024 agricultural year. Common wheat grown in the West Plain, Southern Hilly Area, Transylvania, and northern Moldavia (45–48° N, 21–27° E) had higher moisture content, water activity,
Fusarium-damaged kernels, and deoxynivalenol levels. This was due to moderate temperatures, abundant precipitation, and soil water reserves in May, followed by moderate drought from June to August. Conversely, common wheat from the Oltenia Plain, the Southern Plain, and southern Moldavia (43–46° N, 23–28° E) had the lowest contamination levels, attributed to extreme temperatures and drought during June–August. Common wheat from Dobrogea (45° N, 28° E) showed the highest total fungi contamination, which was influenced by precipitation at harvest. Although microbiological and mycotoxicological contamination was low, it negatively affected the physico-chemical and sensory–colorimetric parameters of common wheat, particularly in the West Plain, Oltenia Plain, and Dobrogea. Consequently, there could be significant economic losses for farmers, storekeepers, millers, and bakers, as well as a decline in the quality of finished foods. Moreover, the coexistence of deoxynivalenol and total aflatoxins in common wheat grown in the northwest of the country indicates the spread of contamination due to dry conditions and climate change.
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Open AccessArticle
Resilience to Climate Change by Biocontrol Yeasts Against Ochratoxin A Production in Robusta Coffee
by
Claudia López-Rodríguez, Carol Verheecke-Vaessen, Caroline Strub, Angélique Fontana, Tagro Guehi, Sabine Schorr-Galindo and Angel Medina
Viewed by 566
Abstract
Aspergillus carbonarius is the main producer of Ochratoxin A (OTA) in coffee. In the last few years, there has been an increasing interest in using yeast isolates as Biocontrol Agents to prevent OTA production in coffee cherries during the primary postharvest processing. Little
[...] Read more.
Aspergillus carbonarius is the main producer of Ochratoxin A (OTA) in coffee. In the last few years, there has been an increasing interest in using yeast isolates as Biocontrol Agents to prevent OTA production in coffee cherries during the primary postharvest processing. Little is known about how climate change abiotic conditions of increased temperature (+2–4 °C), elevated CO
2 (existing levels of 400 vs. 1000 ppm), and increased drought stress will impact biocontrol resilience. This study examined the effect of a three-way interaction between temperature (27, 30, and 33 °C) x water activity (a
w) (0.90 and 0.95 a
w) x CO
2 level (400 vs. 1000 ppm) on the growth and OTA production of
A. carbonarius and the resilience of three yeast strains’ biocontrol capacity on fresh coffee cherries. High a
w (0.95), CO
2, and temperature levels increased the production of OTA by
A. carbonarius. All the yeast biocontrol strains significantly reduced
A. carbonarius growth by at least 20% and OTA production by up to 85%. From the three strains used, the
Meyerozyma caribbica strain (Y4) showed the best resilience to climate change, since it reduced both growth (50%) and OTA production (70%) under future scenarios of CO
2 and a
w at all temperatures tested, and should be the one selected for pilot scale experiments in Ivory Coast.
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Open AccessArticle
Investigating the Correlations Between Weather Factors and Mycotoxin Contamination in Corn: Evidence from Long-Term Data
by
Alexander Platzer, Younos Cherkaoui, Barbara Novak and Gerd Schatzmayr
Viewed by 844
Abstract
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by certain fungi, posing significant health risks to humans and animals through contaminated food and feed. These fungi, and consequently the mycotoxins which they produce, are strongly influenced by weather, and this shifts over time due to climate
[...] Read more.
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by certain fungi, posing significant health risks to humans and animals through contaminated food and feed. These fungi, and consequently the mycotoxins which they produce, are strongly influenced by weather, and this shifts over time due to climate change, leading to more frequent and severe events, such as heat waves, storms, and heavy rainfall. This study investigates how long-term weather trends and climatic factors impacted mycotoxin levels in corn samples over a 17-year period (2006–2022) across 12 countries, with a focus on 136 specific weather features. Among all potential relationships, we found
Aspergillus toxins and fumonisins to be positively correlated with temperature, while deoxynivalenol and zearalenone are negatively correlated. Additionally, the dew point, particularly its 90th percentile value, is positively correlated with
Aspergillus mycotoxins. We also identified significant patterns associated with wind direction. Collectively, these findings offer a comprehensive overview of mycotoxin–weather correlations, which may also be projected into future scenarios.
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Open AccessArticle
Three Ecological Models to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Trichoderma spp. for Suppressing Aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus
by
Nataliia Voloshchuk, Zilfa Irakoze, Seogchan Kang, Joshua J. Kellogg and Josephine Wee
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2096
Abstract
Chemical pesticides help reduce crop loss during production and storage. However, the carbon footprints and ecological costs associated with this strategy are unsustainable. Here, we used three in vitro models to characterize how different
Trichoderma species interact with two aflatoxin producers,
Aspergillus flavus
[...] Read more.
Chemical pesticides help reduce crop loss during production and storage. However, the carbon footprints and ecological costs associated with this strategy are unsustainable. Here, we used three in vitro models to characterize how different
Trichoderma species interact with two aflatoxin producers,
Aspergillus flavus and
Aspergillus parasiticus, to help develop a climate-resilient biological control strategy against aflatoxigenic
Aspergillus species. The growth rate of
Trichoderma species is a critical factor in suppressing aflatoxigenic strains via physical interactions. The dual plate assay suggests that
Trichoderma mainly suppresses
A. flavus via antibiosis, whereas the suppression of
A. parasiticus occurs through mycoparasitism. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by
Trichoderma inhibited the growth of
A. parasiticus (34.6 ± 3.3%) and
A. flavus (20.9 ± 1.6%). The VOCs released by
T. asperellum BTU and
T. harzianum OSK-34 were most effective in suppressing
A. flavus growth. Metabolites secreted by
T. asperellum OSK-38,
T. asperellum BTU,
T. virens OSK-13, and
T. virens OSK-36 reduced the growth of both aflatoxigenic species. Overall,
T. asperellum BTU was the most effective at suppressing the growth and aflatoxin B1 production of both species across all models. This work will guide efforts to screen for effective biological control agents to mitigate aflatoxin accumulation.
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Open AccessArticle
Effects of Climate Change on Areas Suitable for Maize Cultivation and Aflatoxin Contamination in Europe
by
Marlous Focker, Michiel van Eupen, Peter Verweij, Cheng Liu, Charlotte van Haren and H. J. van der Fels-Klerx
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2824
Abstract
The climate is changing in Europe: average temperatures are increasing, and so is the frequency of extreme weather events. Climate change has a severe impact on areas suitable for growing certain crops and on food safety, for example, affecting the occurrence of the
[...] Read more.
The climate is changing in Europe: average temperatures are increasing, and so is the frequency of extreme weather events. Climate change has a severe impact on areas suitable for growing certain crops and on food safety, for example, affecting the occurrence of the aflatoxin contamination of maize. The aim of this study was to obtain insights into the impact of climate change on possible changes in land use in Europe, particularly in areas suitable for maize cultivation, and on the probability of the mycotoxin contamination of maize in order to give directions for long-term adaptation to climate change. By combining a land use model and a mycotoxin prediction model, the suitability of land for maize cultivation and the probability of aflatoxin contamination were estimated for suitable areas in Europe, comparing the current climate with the 2050 scenario. In 2050, the occurrence of aflatoxin contamination in Europe is predicted to severely increase, especially in Central and Southern Europe. More northern regions, presently unsuitable for maize cultivation, will become suitable for maize cultivation in 2050. In the baseline scenario, most regions suitable for maize cultivation have a low probability of aflatoxin contamination, whereas in 2050, about half of the regions suitable for maize cultivation have a medium to high probability of aflatoxin contamination. Regions for safely growing maize for human consumption will shift from the southern to the northern half of Europe.
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