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Review
. 2025 Mar 3;14(5):865.
doi: 10.3390/foods14050865.

Recent Progress of Mycotoxin in Various Food Products-Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessment

Kailin Li  1   2 , Hua Cai  1 , Baozhang Luo  1 , Shenggang Duan  1 , Jingjin Yang  1 , Nan Zhang  1 , Yi He  1 , Aibo Wu  2 , Hong Liu  1
Affiliations
Review

Recent Progress of Mycotoxin in Various Food Products-Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessment

Kailin Li et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Mycotoxins, as prevalent contaminants in the food chain, exhibit diverse toxicological effects on both animals and humans. Chronic dietary exposure to mycotoxin-contaminated foods may result in the bioaccumulation of these toxins, posing substantial public health risks. This review systematically examines the contamination patterns of mycotoxins across major food categories, including cereals and related products, animal-derived foods, fruits, and medical food materials. Furthermore, we critically evaluated two methodological frameworks for assessing mycotoxin exposure risks: (1) dietary exposure models integrating contamination levels and consumption data and (2) human biomonitoring approaches quantifying mycotoxin biomarkers in biological samples. A key contribution lies in the stratified analysis of exposure disparities among population subgroups (adults, teenagers, children, and infants). Additionally, we summarize current research on the relationship between human mycotoxin biomonitoring and associated health impacts, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and infants. By elucidating the challenges inherent in existing studies, this synthesis provides a roadmap for advancing risk characterization and evidence-based food safety interventions.

Keywords: contaminants; health effects; human biomonitoring; population subgroups.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mycotoxins for which dietary intake exceeds the threshold of concern in different food groups.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Exposure and health effects of mycotoxins in different populations. The mycotoxin name letters in red indicate toxins whose exposure levels exceed the safety threshold. Bold colored arrows indicate exposure scenarios that have been reported to cause negative health effects; dotted arrows indicate that exposure to toxins with arrows of the same color is associated with the occurrence of this health effect.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Challenges in mycotoxin exposure assessments.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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