Nanobiotechnological strategies for toxigenic fungi and mycotoxin control

Abstract

Controlling mycotoxin contamination and toxigenic fungi in the global food and feed supply chains are a major challenge to protecting animal and human health. Reducing fungal growth, reproduction, and toxin production by synthetic fungicides is difficult due to environmental pollution and the development of fungal resistance. Also, food and animal feed can become contaminated by fungicide residues. Therefore there is a need to develop a viable strategy to control toxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins. Nanotechnological application in mycotoxicology is still in the early phases. In recent times, extensive research has been done in taking advantage of nanotechnology in developing new antifungal and antimycotoxins nanoformulas. In this chapter, we review the role, contribution, and impact of nanotechnology to control the presence of fungi and mycotoxins in food and in feed. A critical evaluation of the potential antimycotoxins includes nanoparticles, biopolymers, nanogel, nanobinders such as magnetic carbon nanocomposites, nanodiamonds (MND), and montmorillonite nanocomposite. There are also some major knowledge gaps regarding our current understanding of the antifungal mechanisms of nanomaterials. Crops treated with safe nanofungicides treatments will gain added value for a number of reasons—no chemical residues, effective in low dose, reduction in food and feed spoilage and fungal pathogens for benefit to human health—thus sustaining the universal demand for high product quality.