Irradiation for mold and mycotoxin control : a review

The mycotoxin issue requires constant vigilance from economic, regulatory, and scientific agents to minimize its toxicological effects on human and on animals. The implementation of good practices to avoid fungal growth and mycotoxin production on agricultural commodities is essential to achieve most restrictive safety standards; however, the contribution of novel technologies that may act on post-harvesting and post-storage situations may be equally important. Several methodologies, more or less technologically advanced, may be used for this purpose. In this work, we review the role, contribution, and impact of irradiation technology to control the presence of fungi and mycotoxins in food and in feed. The effect of this technology on the viability of mold spores and on the elimination of mycotoxins is reviewed. A critical evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of irradiation in this context is presented.Thalita Calado and Luis Abrunhosa received support through grants SFRH/BD/79364/2011 and SFRH/BPD/43922/2008, respectively, from the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia - FCT, Portugal. The authors also thank the FCT Strategic Project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013 and the project "BioInd - Biotechnology and Bioengineering for Improved Industrial and Agro-Food processes, REF. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000028," which is cofunded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON. 2 - O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER

Edible films and coatings as carriers of living microorganisms: a new strategy towards biopreservation and healthier foods

Edible films and coatings have been extensively studied in recent years due to their unique properties and advantages over more traditional conservation techniques. Edible films and coatings improve shelf life and food quality, by providing a protective barrier against physical and mechanical damage, and by creating a controlled atmosphere and acting as a semipermeable barrier for gases, vapor, and water. Edible films and coatings are produced using naturally derived materials, such as polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids, or a mixture of these materials. These films and coatings also offer the possibility of incorporating different functional ingredients such as nutraceuticals, antioxidants, antimicrobials, flavoring, and coloring agents. Films and coatings are also able to incorporate living microorganisms. In the last decade, several works reported the incorporation of bacteria to confer probiotic or antimicrobial properties to these films and coatings. The incorporation of probiotic bacteria in films and coatings allows them to reach the consumers gut in adequate amounts to confer health benefits to the host, thus creating an added value to the food product. Also, other microorganisms, either bacteria or yeast, can be incorporated into edible films in a biocontrol approach to extend the shelf life of food products. The incorporation of yeasts in films and coatings has been suggested primarily for the control of the postharvest disease. This work provides a comprehensive review of the use of edible films and coatings for the incorporation of living microorganisms, aiming at the biopreservation and probiotic ability of food products.Ana Guimaraes received support through grant SFRH/BD/ 103245/2014 from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Luís Abrunhosa was supported by grant UMINHO/BPD/51/2015 from project UID/BIO/04469/2013 financed by FCT/MEC (OE). This study was supported by FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684), and of BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000004) funded by European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Vectors used in Figure were designed by Freepik.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mycotoxins in fruits and vegetables

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