Recent Progress of Mycotoxin in Various Food Products—Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessment

Mycotoxins, as prevalent contaminants in the food chain, exhibit diverse toxicological effects on both animals and humans. Chronic dietary exposure to mycotoxin-contaminated foods may result in the bioaccumulation of these toxins, posing substantial public health risks. This review systematically ex...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kailin Li, Hua Cai, Baozhang Luo, Shenggang Duan, Jingjin Yang, Nan Zhang, Yi He, Aibo Wu, Hong Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Foods
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/5/865
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850030365652025344
author Kailin Li
Hua Cai
Baozhang Luo
Shenggang Duan
Jingjin Yang
Nan Zhang
Yi He
Aibo Wu
Hong Liu
author_facet Kailin Li
Hua Cai
Baozhang Luo
Shenggang Duan
Jingjin Yang
Nan Zhang
Yi He
Aibo Wu
Hong Liu
author_sort Kailin Li
collection DOAJ
description Mycotoxins, as prevalent contaminants in the food chain, exhibit diverse toxicological effects on both animals and humans. Chronic dietary exposure to mycotoxin-contaminated foods may result in the bioaccumulation of these toxins, posing substantial public health risks. This review systematically examines the contamination patterns of mycotoxins across major food categories, including cereals and related products, animal-derived foods, fruits, and medical food materials. Furthermore, we critically evaluated two methodological frameworks for assessing mycotoxin exposure risks: (1) dietary exposure models integrating contamination levels and consumption data and (2) human biomonitoring approaches quantifying mycotoxin biomarkers in biological samples. A key contribution lies in the stratified analysis of exposure disparities among population subgroups (adults, teenagers, children, and infants). Additionally, we summarize current research on the relationship between human mycotoxin biomonitoring and associated health impacts, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and infants. By elucidating the challenges inherent in existing studies, this synthesis provides a roadmap for advancing risk characterization and evidence-based food safety interventions.
format Article
id doaj-art-c2fdbac61a994aa7a1b8bef2c587e91a
institution DOAJ
issn 2304-8158
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Foods
spelling doaj-art-c2fdbac61a994aa7a1b8bef2c587e91a2025-08-20T02:59:14ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-03-0114586510.3390/foods14050865Recent Progress of Mycotoxin in Various Food Products—Human Exposure and Health Risk AssessmentKailin Li0Hua Cai1Baozhang Luo2Shenggang Duan3Jingjin Yang4Nan Zhang5Yi He6Aibo Wu7Hong Liu8Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, ChinaShanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, ChinaShanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, ChinaShanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, ChinaShanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, ChinaShanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, ChinaShanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, ChinaSIBS-UGENT-SJTU Joint Laboratory of Mycotoxin Research, CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200331, ChinaShanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200336, ChinaMycotoxins, as prevalent contaminants in the food chain, exhibit diverse toxicological effects on both animals and humans. Chronic dietary exposure to mycotoxin-contaminated foods may result in the bioaccumulation of these toxins, posing substantial public health risks. This review systematically examines the contamination patterns of mycotoxins across major food categories, including cereals and related products, animal-derived foods, fruits, and medical food materials. Furthermore, we critically evaluated two methodological frameworks for assessing mycotoxin exposure risks: (1) dietary exposure models integrating contamination levels and consumption data and (2) human biomonitoring approaches quantifying mycotoxin biomarkers in biological samples. A key contribution lies in the stratified analysis of exposure disparities among population subgroups (adults, teenagers, children, and infants). Additionally, we summarize current research on the relationship between human mycotoxin biomonitoring and associated health impacts, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and infants. By elucidating the challenges inherent in existing studies, this synthesis provides a roadmap for advancing risk characterization and evidence-based food safety interventions.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/5/865contaminantshuman biomonitoringpopulation subgroupshealth effects
spellingShingle Kailin Li
Hua Cai
Baozhang Luo
Shenggang Duan
Jingjin Yang
Nan Zhang
Yi He
Aibo Wu
Hong Liu
Recent Progress of Mycotoxin in Various Food Products—Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessment
Foods
contaminants
human biomonitoring
population subgroups
health effects
title Recent Progress of Mycotoxin in Various Food Products—Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessment
title_full Recent Progress of Mycotoxin in Various Food Products—Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessment
title_fullStr Recent Progress of Mycotoxin in Various Food Products—Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessment
title_full_unstemmed Recent Progress of Mycotoxin in Various Food Products—Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessment
title_short Recent Progress of Mycotoxin in Various Food Products—Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessment
title_sort recent progress of mycotoxin in various food products human exposure and health risk assessment
topic contaminants
human biomonitoring
population subgroups
health effects
url https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/5/865
work_keys_str_mv AT kailinli recentprogressofmycotoxininvariousfoodproductshumanexposureandhealthriskassessment
AT huacai recentprogressofmycotoxininvariousfoodproductshumanexposureandhealthriskassessment
AT baozhangluo recentprogressofmycotoxininvariousfoodproductshumanexposureandhealthriskassessment
AT shenggangduan recentprogressofmycotoxininvariousfoodproductshumanexposureandhealthriskassessment
AT jingjinyang recentprogressofmycotoxininvariousfoodproductshumanexposureandhealthriskassessment
AT nanzhang recentprogressofmycotoxininvariousfoodproductshumanexposureandhealthriskassessment
AT yihe recentprogressofmycotoxininvariousfoodproductshumanexposureandhealthriskassessment
AT aibowu recentprogressofmycotoxininvariousfoodproductshumanexposureandhealthriskassessment
AT hongliu recentprogressofmycotoxininvariousfoodproductshumanexposureandhealthriskassessment