Overview of Mycotoxins in Food and Animal Feed: Recent Advances

Mycotoxins, toxic metabolites produced by certain fungi, pose significant and multifaceted threats to human and animal health, agriculture, and international trade. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of mycotoxins, focusing on their classification, occurrence, and impact on human and animal health. The review encompasses an analysis of existing literature on mycotoxin contamination using relevant information gathered from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, with keywords including mycotoxin contamination, aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisins, zearalenone, trichothecenes, deoxynivalenol, crops, food, and feed. The search aimed to capture existing literature on key mycotoxins of global concern and factors influencing their presence in crops, food, and feed. These contaminants can cause mycotoxicosis through chronic or acute exposure. Biotic and abiotic factors influence mycotoxin contamination, and establishing global regulatory limits is crucial for mitigation. A holistic management approach, involving all relevant stakeholders and encompassing pre-harvest, harvest, and post-harvest strategies, is necessary for controlling mycotoxin contamination and enhancing public health and international trade.