Changing climate, shifting mycotoxins: A comprehensive review of climate change impact on mycotoxin contamination

Climate change (CC) is a complex phenomenon that has the potential to significantly alter marine, terrestrial, and freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Global warming of 2°C is expected to be exceeded during the 21st century, and the frequency of extreme weather events, including floods, storms, droughts, extreme temperatures, and wildfires, has intensified globally over recent decades, differently affecting areas of the world. How CC may impact multiple food safety hazards is increasingly evident, with mycotoxin contamination in particular gaining in prominence. Research focusing on CC effects on mycotoxin contamination in edible crops has developed considerably throughout the years. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive literature search to collect available studies in the scientific literature published between 2000 and 2023. The selected papers highlighted how warmer temperatures are enabling the migration, introduction, and mounting abundance of thermophilic and thermotolerant fungal species, including those producing mycotoxins. Certain mycotoxigenic fungal species, such as Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium graminearum, are expected to readily acclimatize to new conditions and could become more aggressive pathogens. Furthermore, abiotic stress factors resulting from CC are expected to weaken the resistance of host crops, rendering them more vulnerable to fungal disease outbreaks. Changed interactions of mycotoxigenic fungi are likewise expected, with the effect of influencing the prevalence and co-occurrence of mycotoxins in the future. Looking ahead, future research should focus on improving predictive modeling, expanding research into different pathosystems, and facilitating the application of effective strategies to mitigate the impact of CC.

Foreword – special issue Mycotoxins in Latin America

Latin America with its considerable North-South extent is subject to climate that varies from tropical, subtropical and warm temperate to temperate. Different agricultural products are produced in the area including cereals, oilseeds, beans, fruits and nuts together with animal production including cattle for beef and milk, pigs, poultry and fish. The heterogeneity of agriculture in Latin America is reflected in the diversity of the region’s farm structures. While agriculture in the Southern Cone is dominated by large, commercial and export-oriented farms, particularly in Argentina and Brazil, besides increasingly in other countries like Uruguay, much of the rest of the region is characterised by smallholder and family agriculture. The contamination of agricultural products with mycotoxins has impact both human and animal health, as well as the economy due to losses related to rejections of agricultural products and by-products during trade. The economic burden related to the consumption of mycotoxins by animals is especially important, causing productivity losses up to the death of animals. The relevant mycotoxins are fumonisins, deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) in cereals and cereal-based products, aflatoxins in cereals, oily seeds and nuts, aflatoxin M1 in milk and dairy products as well as ochratoxin A (OTA) in coffee, grapes and raisins. Co-occurrence of mycotoxins has also been observed mainly with aflatoxins and fumonisins in different Latin American countries (Torres et al., 2015). Advances on legislation in different countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay have been done to establish maximum limits for mycotoxins including aflatoxins, DON, ZEN, OTA, patulin and ergot alkaloids (ANVISA, 2011/2017; CAA, 2019/2021, Norma Oficial Mexicana, N.-243-S., 2010/2010; Reglamento Sanitario de los Alimentos, 2013).