Biological Control and Mitigation of Aflatoxin Contamination in Commodities

Aflatoxins (AFs) are toxic secondary metabolites produced mostly by Aspergillus species. AF contamination entering the feed and food chain has been a crucial long-term issue for veterinarians, medicals, agroindustry experts, and researchers working in this field. Although different (physical, chemical, and biological) technologies have been developed, tested, and employed to mitigate the detrimental effects of mycotoxins, including AFs, universal methods are still not available to reduce AF levels in feed and food in the last decades. Possible biological control by bacteria, yeasts, and fungi, their excretes, the role of the ruminal degradation, pre-harvest biocontrol by competitive exclusion or biofungicides, and post-harvest technologies and practices based on biological agents currently used to alleviate the toxic effects of AFs are collected in this review. Pre-harvest biocontrol technologies can give us the greatest opportunity to reduce AF production on the spot. Together with post-harvest applications of bacteria or fungal cultures, these technologies can help us strictly reduce AF contamination without synthetic chemicals.

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Biological Strategies To Counteract the Effects of Mycotoxins

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x-72.9.2006 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 72 (9) ◽

pp. 2006-2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

BULENT KABAK ◽

ALAN D. W. DOBSON

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Gastrointestinal Tract ◽

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Adverse Effects ◽

Fungal Infection ◽

Physical Chemical ◽

Biological Methods ◽

Fungal Secondary Metabolites

Mycotoxins are fungal secondary metabolites that if ingested can cause a variety of adverse effects on both humans and animals, ranging from allergic responses to death. Therefore, exposure to mycotoxins should be minimized. A variety of physical, chemical, and biological methods have been developed for decontamination and/or detoxification of mycotoxins from contaminated foods and feeds. This overview details the latest developments in the biological control of both fungal infection and mycotoxin formation and describes the detoxification of many of the most important mycotoxins by microorganisms. This review also addresses the potential for use of microorganisms as mycotoxin binders in the gastrointestinal tract of both humans and animals, thereby reducing the potential deleterious effects of exposure to these toxins.

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Plant secondary metabolites: antiparasitic effects and their role in ruminant production systems

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1079/pns2004396 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 631-639 ◽

Cited By ~ 101

Author(s):

Spiridoula Athanasiadou ◽

Ilias Kyriazakis

Keyword(s):

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Production Systems ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Plant Secondary Metabolites ◽

Antiparasitic Activity ◽

Excessive Consumption ◽

Therapeutic Properties ◽

Nutritional Effects

The purported antiparasitic properties of plant secondary metabolites (PSM) have been the cause of controversy amongst the scientific community. Despite long-standing knowledge of the prophylactic and therapeutic properties of PSM-rich extracts, which comes mainly from ethnoveterinary sources, the scientific evidence of the antiparasitic effects of PSM is inconsistent. In the first part of the present paper the causes of this controversy are addressed, and the evidence available on the antiparasitic effects of PSM is critically examined. The focus is on examples of the antiparasitic activity of PSM against helminth nematodes. The conclusion is that PSM can have antiparasitic properties, which depend on their structure, level of ingestion and availability within the gastrointestinal tract of the animal. The second part is an appraisal of the potential role of PSM for parasite control in ruminant production systems. Despite their antiparasitic properties, PSM consumption does not necessarily have positive consequences in parasitised herbivores, as excessive consumption of PSM can adversely affect herbivore fitness and survival, through their anti-nutritional properties. For this reason it is suggested that the antiparasitic properties of PSM should be assessed at the same time as their anti-nutritional effects. The same measure, e.g. the performance of parasitised hosts, should be used when assessing these properties. The assessment of the costs and benefits suggests that parasitised herbivores can benefit from the long-term consumption of PSM only if the antiparasitic benefits outweigh the anti-nutritional costs of PSM. In addition, it is proposed that parasitised animals might be able to benefit from PSM consumption even if their performance is impaired, as long as the latter is a short-term compromise that leads to long-term benefits.

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Current and promising strategies to prevent and reduce aflatoxin contamination in grains and food matrices

World Mycotoxin Journal ◽

10.3920/wmj2020.2559 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

S.L. Gibellato ◽

L.F. Dalsóquio ◽

I.C.A. do Nascimento ◽

T.M. Alvarez

Keyword(s):

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Large Scale ◽

Industrial Sector ◽

Global Scale ◽

Aflatoxin Contamination ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Physical Chemical ◽

The World ◽

Food Matrices ◽

Culture Supernatants

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi that colonise various crops around the world and cause major damage to the agro-industrial sector on a global scale. Considering the estimative of population growth in the next decades, it is of fundamental importance the implementation of practices that help prevent the economics and social impacts of aflatoxin contamination. Even though various approaches have been developed – including physical, chemical and biological approaches – there is not yet one that strikes a balance in terms of safety, food quality and cost, especially when considering large scale application. In this review, we present a compilation of advantages and disadvantages of different strategies for prevention and reduction of aflatoxin contamination. Biological approaches represent the trend in innovations mainly due to their specificity and versatility, since it is possible to consider the utilisation of whole microorganisms, culture supernatants, purified enzymes or even genetic engineering. However, challenges related to improvement of the efficiency of such methods and ensuring safety of treated foods still need to be overcome.

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Mitigation of Aflatoxin Contamination in Groundnuts using Trichoderma viride

Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment ◽

10.25303/2512rjce3243 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (12) ◽

pp. 32-43

Author(s):

D. Syamala ◽

S. Nabanita Kumar ◽

P. Lalitha

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Aspergillus Flavus ◽

Trichoderma Viride ◽

Culture Technique ◽

Aflatoxin Contamination ◽

Dual Culture ◽

Chemical Methods ◽

Post Harvest ◽

Carcinogenic Agents ◽

Physical And Chemical

Groundnuts are often prone to contamination by Microorganisms during pre-harvest or post-harvest storage. One such contaminant is Aspergillus flavus which is abundantly found in soil and air. Several strains of A. flavus are known to produce mycotoxins named as aflatoxins. These aflatoxins are potent carcinogenic agents whose destruction has become a challenging task in the present scenario. Various physical and chemical methods are available to eliminate the growth of Aspergillus flavus but these methods have several demerits. The present study is based on biological control of Aspergillus flavus using Trichoderma viride strain TV 10. Antagonistic studies of Tv 10 against A.flavus were carried out by performing dual culture technique.

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Factors Influencing Aflatoxin Contamination in Before and After Harvest Peanuts: A Review

Journal of Food Research ◽

10.5539/jfr.v4n1p148 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 148 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Enjie Diao ◽

Haizhou Dong ◽

Hanxue Hou ◽

Zheng Zhang ◽

Ning Ji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Economic Loss ◽

Aflatoxin Contamination ◽

Post Harvest ◽

Toxicological Effects ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Before And After ◽

The 1960S ◽

Fungal Secondary Metabolites

<p>Aflatoxin contamination of peanuts has been of worldwide concern since the 1960s. Aflatoxins are fungal secondary metabolites that have been associated with severe toxicological effects to human and animals, which can cause enormous economic loss to producers, handlers, processors and marketers of contaminated peanuts. Aflatoxin contamination of peanuts is unavoidable due to the varied factors in pre-harvest, harvesting, and post-harvest stages of peanuts. The review summarizes the factors influencing aflatoxin contamination in the whole supply chain of peanuts.</p>

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Role of iTrichoderma/i secondary metabolites in plant growth promotion and biological control.

Advances in PGPR research ◽

10.1079/9781786390325.0411 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 411-426 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S Jyoti ◽

R. S. Rajput ◽

B Kartikay ◽

S Surendra ◽

H. B. Singh

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Plant Growth Promotion ◽

Growth Promotion

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Insecticidal and Antiprotozoal Properties of Lichen Secondary Metabolites on Insect Vectors and Their Transmitted Protozoal Diseases to Humans

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13080342 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 342

Author(s):

Arthur M. Muhoro ◽

Edit É. Farkas

Keyword(s):

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Usnic Acid ◽

Bibliographic Databases ◽

Insect Vectors ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Parasitic Protozoa ◽

Larval Stages ◽

Synthetic Chemicals

Since the long-term application of synthetic chemicals as insecticides and the chemotherapy of protozoal diseases have had various negative effects (non-target effects, resistance), research on less harmful biological products is underway. This review is focused on lichens with potential insecticidal and antiprotozoal activity. Literature sources (27) were surveyed from five bibliographic databases and analyzed according to the taxonomic group of the insect, the protozoal disease and the lichen, the type of bioactive compounds (including method of application and mount applied), and the potential bioactivity based on mortalities caused after 24 h of exposure on insects and on parasitic protozoa. Six species of protozoa and five species of mosquitoes, three kinds of larval stages of insects and three protozoa stages were tested. Insecticidal and antiprotozoal effects of crude extracts and seven lichen secondary metabolites (mostly usnic acid) of 32 lichen species were determined. Physiological and morphological changes on parasitic protozoa were observed. Mortality rates caused by LSMs on insect vectors closer to (or somewhat above) the WHO threshold were considered to be insecticides. The results are based on laboratory experiments; however, the efficacy of metabolites should be confirmed in the field and on non-human primates to control the insect vectors and human protozoal diseases transmitted by insects.

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