The global overview of the occurrence of mycotoxins in cereals: a three-year survey

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites from molds that can contaminate the food and cause serious health problems in consumers. Aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol, fumonisins, zearalenone, T-2 toxins, ochratoxin A, are mycotoxins with acute carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, hepatotoxic, estrogenic effects. Cereals are very important and strategic grains that are very susceptible to mycotoxin contamination. In this study, the most recent studies about mycotoxins' occurrence in cereals (wheat, corn, rice, oats, barley, rye, sorghum) from 2018 to 2020 were reviewed. It can be concluded that the majority of the studies in the last three years have been done on corn, wheat, and rice, respectively. According to the results, the hazard of aflatoxin B₁ in wheat, corn, and rice is serious as it was higher than the EU limit in most of the studies. Because of climate change globally, the fungal population and mycotoxin patterns in different regions and crops are changing. Therefore, the development of practical control and management strategies is essential to ensure crop safety.