Occurrence, Prevention and Control of Mycotoxins and Mycotoxigenic Fungi on Nuts and Dried Fruits
A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Mycotoxins".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2020) | Viewed by 8469
Special Issue Editor
Interests: plant pathology; crop protection; molecular diagnostics; biological control; postharvest; mycotoxins
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Nuts and dried fruits are important sources of nutrients for humans. A large number of nuts, particularly appreciated for their oil content, are used in cooking, eaten raw, sprouted, roasted as a snack food, or pressed for oil. The most important nuts are almond, Brazil nut, cashew, chestnut, macadamia, peanut, pecan, pine nut, pistachio and walnut. The consumption of dried fruits, fresh fruits from which the majority of water content has been removed, retaining the nutritional value, is widespread. Nearly half of the dried fruits consumed are raisins, followed by dates, prunes, figs, apricots, peaches, apples, and pears. Among the main fungal genera present in the microbiota of nuts and dried fruits, there are Fusarium, Aspergillus, Alternaria, and Penicillium, which are able to contaminate nuts and dried fruits with mycotoxins. Aflatoxins and ochratoxins are among the most important mycotoxins occurring on nuts and dried fruits. The most effective tool against mycotoxins is prevention of mold growth in the field and during postharvest. Environmental factors can greatly affect mycotoxin production by fungal species. Predictive models have been developed as decision support systems to plan appropriate crop protection strategies in field. Innovative detection and diagnostic tools are available to monitor the occurrence of mycotoxigenic fungi in field and after harvest. When contamination is not prevented, several approaches can be employed to help to remove mycotoxins from the contaminated commodities, including physical, chemical, and biological techniques. Detoxification processes should destroy or inactivate mycotoxins, by guaranteeing the nutritional value of food. Research is needed to study the fate of mycotoxins during decontamination, detoxification, and food processing. A holistic approach should be adopted to monitor, prevent, and control mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxins on nuts and dried fruits.
Prof. Dr. Davide Spadaro
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- aflatoxins
- control
- decontamination
- detoxification
- dried fruit
- monitoring
- mycotoxin
- nut
- occurrence
- prevention
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