Mycotoxin-contaminated food and feed in Saudi Arabia: review of occurrence and toxicity

Alisraa Mohammed Althagaf ^a,b

Hamad Majob Alshegif ^a,b

Thamer Salem Qussyier ^a,c

Mansour Tobaiqy ^a

Abdalbasit A. Mariod ^a,d

Affiliation

a University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

b King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

c Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

d Ghibaish College of Science and Technology, Ghibaish, Sudan

Copyright ©Althagafi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.

Received 22 September, 2020 | Accepted in revised form 09 September, 2020 | Published 15 April, 2021

DOI: http://doi.org/10.21603/2308-4057-2021-1-174-183

Abstract

Introduction. Mycotoxins are reported to have a considerable impact on the health of consumers. There has been plentiful research into the effects of mycotoxins, fungi, and bacteria on the safety and quality of food and feed. This research paper reviews the literature on mycotoxins.
Study objects and methods. The study focused on mycotoxins in food and feed produced in Saudi Arabia. We reviewed literature on the occurrence and health impacts of foodborne mycotoxins. We also studied the presence of mycotoxins in herbs, nuts, cereals, dried fruits and vegetables, infant formulas and baby foods, as well as dairy products. Finally, the paper offers a review of mycotoxin analysis methods.
Results and discussion. The findings showed that mycotoxins attract a lot of scientific interest in Saudi Arabia. Certain types of mycotoxins (zearalenone, aflatoxins) and fungi (Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Aspergillus niger) were common in the samples (isolates) of products tested in the Saudi regions. Furthermore, the researchers used different techniques of analysis such as the HPLC method, dilution plate method, thin layer chromatography, total plate count method, and seed-plate method to detect, identify, and isolate mycotoxins.
Conclusion. Most importantly, the results showed that mycotoxins have serious health impacts on consumers and most of the contamination cases are caused by improper storage conditions and/or inappropriate handling and harvesting practices.

Keywords

Toxins, fungi, herbs, nuts, cereals, dried fruits, vegetables, baby foods, dairy products, health, food contamination

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How to quote?

Althagafi AM, Alshegifi HM, Qussyier TS, Tobaiqy M, Mariod A. Mycotoxin-contaminated food and feed in Saudi Arabia: review of occurrence and toxicity. Foods and Raw Materials. 2021;9(1):174–183. https://doi. org/10.21603/2308-4057-2021-1-174-183

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