Microbiotechnological Innovations for Next-Generation Mycotoxin Control in Food and Feed

Mycotoxins, toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi, are among the most persistent threats to food and feed safety worldwide. Their stability, frequent co-occurrence, and harmful effects on animal and human health create significant challenges for agriculture, food industries, and public health systems. Traditional control strategies such as chemical detoxification and physical treatments are often limited in efficacy and sustainability. Recent advances in microbiotechnology offer promising alternatives using beneficial microbes, engineered enzymes, and microbial consortia capable of degrading, transforming, or absorbing multiple mycotoxins. Coupled with synthetic biology, omics-driven discoveries, and microbial process innovations, these strategies represent a new frontier in sustainable toxin management.

The pervasive contamination of food and feed by mycotoxins, such as zearalenone, aflatoxin, and ochratoxin, poses a significant threat to public health, livestock productivity, and the global economy. Conventional physical and chemical methods for mycotoxin mitigation often face limitations, including incomplete removal, nutritional loss, and environmental concerns. Biological strategies, particularly the use of microorganisms, offer a promising and sustainable alternative due to their specificity, efficiency, and eco-friendliness. This Research Topic aims to address the challenge of mycotoxin contamination by exploring innovative microbiotechnological approaches, such as probiotic fermentation, microbial consortia development, enzymatic degradation, and cell wall adsorption mechanisms. By integrating advanced microbiological techniques with applied biotechnology, the goal is to enhance mycotoxin detoxification while preserving or improving the nutritional and functional properties of food and feed. This Research Topic seeks to bring together studies that develop, optimize, and evaluate microbial-based solutions, ultimately providing practical, safe, and cost-effective strategies for mitigating mycotoxin risks and ensuring food and feed safety on a global scale.



This Research Topic aims to highlight microbiology-driven solutions that can ensure safer food and feed chains while supporting One Health and sustainable agriculture. This Research Topic also focuses on microbiological and biotechnological strategies for mitigating mycotoxin contamination in food and feed.

We invite original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, opinions and perspectives, and method articles that present novel findings or technological advances in microbial-based mycotoxin mitigation. Submissions should emphasize both scientific rigor and practical applicability, highlighting strategies that are safe, cost-effective, and sustainable for improving food and feed safety globally.

Contributions are encouraged on themes including, but not limited to:

1. microbial degradation of mycotoxins, probiotic fermentation approaches, development of microbial consortia for multi-mycotoxin detoxification, enzymatic detoxification mechanisms, adsorption and biotransformation by microbial cell components, and optimization of microbial processes for industrial applications.

2. Studies integrating omics technologies, metabolic engineering, or innovative microbiotechnology to enhance detoxification efficiency are also welcome. PLEASE NOTICE THAT DESCRIPTIVE ARTICLES CONSISTING ONLY OF SEQUENCING DATA WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR THIS RESEARCH TOPIC.