Mycotoxin management in a developing country context: A critical review of strategies aimed at decreasing dietary exposure to mycotoxins in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Mycotoxins are unavoidable environmental contaminants, which are found throughout the food chain, particularly in cereals. Mycotoxin management is not effective in developing countries, such as Zimbabwe, due to resource constraints, yet human health risk is evident. Various practical mitigation strategies that can be employed to decrease human dietary exposure to mycotoxins as a means of preliminary steps towards risk management are discussed. These strategies were stratified into two categories. First, crop/commodity-centred strategies, mainly the pre-harvest actions of cultivar selection, bio-control, as well as good agricultural practices (GAP), and the post-harvest actions including timeous harvesting, appropriate drying and storage technologies, are elaborated making use of hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP) principles. The role of legislation is also explored as a crop/commodity centred mitigation strategy. Second, human-centred strategies anchored on dietary diversity and the use of socio-cultural approaches as a direct means of reducing mycotoxin exposure are discussed. Finally, an integrated science-based mycotoxin management strategy, encompassing targeted legislation on mycotoxins, consumer education and information sharing, human and institutional capacity building, training and financing, is suggested in addition to GAP, as a means of reducing human health risk associated with mycotoxin exposure in Zimbabwe.

Highlights

• Farm-to-fork HACCP-based mycotoxin management

• Human-centred mycotoxin management approaches are key

• Agronomy, technology and legislation critical in reducing mycotoxin exposure

Keywords:

• cereals
• exposure
• HACCP
• human health
• mitigation strategies
• Mycotoxin management

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Ghent University special research fund (Ghent BOF) for students from developing countries, grant no. 01W02813.