Alternaria spp. In foods: Mycotoxins, cellular damage and possible health risk

Abstract

The genus Alternaria is composed of filamentous, dematiaceous, saprophytic and pathogenic fungal species, being responsible for great economic losses during the harvest and food storage. The present study aimed to do a bibliographical survey about the main foods contaminated by Alternaria spp. as well as discuss possible health risks arising from cell damage caused by mycotoxins. It is a literature narrative type review, carried out using Medline/Pubmed, Lilacs, Scielo and Science Direct databases, utilizing documents published between years 2000 and 2017 approaching food contamination by Alternaria spp. A wide diversity of foods contaminated by species of the genus Alternaria was found in literature, with a greater emphasis on cereals, fruits and vegetables. This possible contamination may favor the development of mycotoxins that in their great majority present genotoxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, cytotoxic and teratogenic action. However, due to a large variety of contaminated foods, that is a necessity to adapt Brazilian legislation regarding parameters that impose limits on the amount of mycotoxins produced by Alternaria spp. since the national legislation does not encompass limits for all types of toxins that this genus is capable of producing.