Pre-Harvest Aflatoxin Contamination in Crops and Climate Change Factors: A European Overview
Ainhoa Bereziartua1,2, Anke Huss3, Jannigje G Kers3
1Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Basque Country, Spain.
Toxins
|July 25, 2025
Summary
Climate change increases aflatoxin (AF) contamination in European crops, threatening food safety. Standardizing data collection is crucial for effective mitigation strategies against this growing agricultural risk.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Environmental Science
- Food Safety
Background:
- Aflatoxin (AF) contamination poses a significant global threat to food and feed safety (FFS).
- Climate change in Europe exacerbates the risk of pre-harvest AF contamination in agricultural products.
- Understanding the scope and quality of existing data is vital for addressing this challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the scope and quality of pre-harvest data on climate-related AF contamination in Europe.
- To identify research gaps concerning climate change impacts on AF contamination.
- To assess current research on affected crops, geographical focus, and data standardization.
Main Methods:
- Conducted an umbrella literature review.
- Extracted relevant studies from PubMed and Scopus databases.
- Data analysis focused on climate factors, crop types, geographical distribution, and data reporting.
Main Results:
- Rising temperatures, droughts, and altered rainfall patterns are increasing pre-harvest AF contamination in European crops.
- This contamination poses risks to FFS and agricultural stability.
- Inconsistent data collection and reporting methods limit cross-regional comparisons and mitigation strategy development.
Conclusions:
- Standardizing methodologies and improving data accessibility are essential for enhancing predictive modeling and risk assessments.
- Targeted adaptation efforts and actionable insights are needed for policymakers and agricultural stakeholders.
- Addressing data limitations will strengthen efforts to manage climate-related AF contamination risks.
Keywords:
Europeaflatoxinclimate changedata standardisationenvironmental factorsfood safetypre-harvest contaminationMore Related Videos
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