Dear Colleagues,

Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites commonly occurring in contaminated food and grain, which are associated with food safety and feed quality, and they pose a health risk to the human beings. The standard for maximum levels of mycotoxins in food has been established worldwide. Good agricultural practices, plant disease management, and adequate storage conditions limit mycotoxin levels in the food chain yet do not eliminate mycotoxins completely. Currently, aflatoxin, fumonisin, deoxynivalenol (DON), ochratoxin (OT), and zearalenone (ZEN) are the major mycotoxins. Mycotic occurrences can start in the field, harvesting, handling, storage, and processing. The risk of mycotoxins can be minimized during food processing through physical removal and decontamination into less toxic products. Physical removal includes manual sorting of grains, nuts, and fruits by farmers as well as automatic sorting by machine. Additionally, further processing such as milling, steeping, and extrusion can reduce mycotoxins as well. Mycotoxins can be detoxified chemically by reacting with food components and technical aids along with enzymes, and the reactions are facilitated by high temperatures and alkaline or acidic conditions. Though certain enzymes can naturally transform mycotoxins, more efficient detoxification should be achieved via the deliberate introduction of purified enzymes. Meanwhile, the analytical methods and technologies used in evaluating mycotoxin level and estimating their impact are also important. The development of detoxification and analytical technologies for high-risk commodities should be a priority for research.

This research topic aims to add new points about mycotoxin control in food and grain by presenting information about novel processing and degrading methods. This research topic focuses on novel strategies for pre-treatment, preparation, physicochemical degradation, and innovative analysis technologies, as well as any ways to reduce mycotoxin risk in food.

We welcome original research, reviews, methods, and opinion articles within, but not limited to, the subjects of:

• Innovative degrading methods of mycotoxins from food and grain;
• Novel analysis technology and methods of assessing mycotoxin level in food;
• Ways to improve the food safety of mycotoxins;
• New methods to utilize the food and grain contaminated by mycotoxins, and transferring them to some healthy food and safe products.

Prof. Dr. Xingquan Liu
Dr. Zhaowei Zhang
Guest Editors

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• mycotoxins
• degradation
• analysis
• safety
• removement
• risk management
• contaminated food utilization