Mycotoxins: what scientific advances are there towards better risk management?

One of the key factors in the food safety of cereals is the control of the risk of mycotoxin contamination in grains. These mycotoxins are mainly associated with the presence of fungal species of the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium. As particularly stable molecules that are resistant to food processing methods, mycotoxins are found in finished products. In Europe, mycotoxins produced by Fusarium, or fusariotoxins (and in particular type B trichothecenes), are a major concern for the cereal sector due to their frequent occurrence and the numerous toxic effects associated with them. Significant progress made in recent years has led to the identification and prioritisation of agronomic factors that increase the risk of cereal contamination. However, this knowledge has not yet enabled the development of sufficiently effective strategies to ensure compliance with the regulatory limits established in 2006. Such strategies cannot be developed without an in-depth understanding not only of the diversity of toxin-producing agents but also of the mechanisms governing the production and regulation of the biosynthesis of these toxic metabolites. By generating new indicators better suited to (i) promoting the development of agronomic tools for predicting and/or controlling contamination and (ii) enabling a better assessment of the mycotoxin risk associated with the presence of fusariotoxins, the studies carried out by the various INRA laboratories aim to address the economic, toxicological and regulatory challenges posed by these contaminants.