Climate Change and Aflatoxin B₁ in Agriculture Products: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Food safety
• Environmental science
• Mycology

Background:

• The growing popularity of plant-based diets presents new food safety challenges.
• Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a significant threat to plant-based food products.
• Climate change is linked to an increased incidence of food contamination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review evidence linking climate change to increased exposure to aflatoxin B1 in food.
• To analyze the association between climate change and aflatoxin B1 contamination.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of scientific databases.
• Keywords were used to search for relevant literature.
• Full-text evaluation of 63 selected manuscripts.

Main Results:

• Evidence confirms a relationship between climate change and increased aflatoxin B1 contamination.
• Climate change-related stressors weaken plant defenses against fungal infections.
• This leads to a higher prevalence of toxic metabolite pollution in food.

Conclusions:

• Controlling climate change is essential for managing aflatoxin B1 contamination.
• International cooperation, such as implementing the Paris Agreement, is advised to mitigate this risk.