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Review
. 2020 Oct 27;17(21):7850.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17217850.

Environment Changes, Aflatoxins, and Health Issues, a Review

Rafael Valencia-Quintana  1 , Mirta Milić  2 , Daniela Jakšić  3 , Maja Šegvić Klarić  3 , María Guadalupe Tenorio-Arvide  4 , Guillermo Alejandro Pérez-Flores  1 , Stefano Bonassi  5   6 , Juana Sánchez-Alarcón  1
Affiliations
Review

Environment Changes, Aflatoxins, and Health Issues, a Review

Rafael Valencia-Quintana et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Crops contaminated by aflatoxins (AFs), the toxic and carcinogenic mycotoxins produced namely by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, have severe impacts on human health. Changes in temperature and water availability related to actual climate changes (increased temperature, heavy rainfalls, and droughts) are modulating factors of mould growth and production of mycotoxins. To protect human and animal health from the harmful effects caused by AFs, the development of a safe and effective multifaceted approach in combating food and feed contamination with AFs is necessary. This review aims to collect and analyze the available information regarding AF presence in food and feed to reinforce AF management and to prevent health issues related to the AF exposure in the light of actual climate changes.

Keywords: AFB1; Aspergillus flavus; climate change; crops contamination; mycotoxins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Supplementary concepts