Impacts of Fungal Infection and Mycotoxin Contamination on Nutritional Quality and Safety of Protein-Rich Pulses

Plant-based protein sources are increasingly incorporated into human diets as the search for more sustainable and nourishing food sources arises. Numerous fungal plant pathogens that impact pulses and plant-based proteins, namely Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium oxysporum and certain Penicillium species, have been studied widely in corn, peanut and cotton previously. We review reports of these fungal genera and their infections in pulses, as well as other pathogenic and mycotoxigenic fungi reported to infect and contaminate pulses. Overall, plant-based protein sources have been understudied in the United States (US) and abroad. This review captures current research (through 2025) to reveal how pulse crops, an emerging source of plant-based proteins, are impacted nutritionally by fungal infections and their subsequent mycotoxin contamination. The major findings are 1) that fungal infections tend to decrease nutritional composition of pulse seeds and 2) that there are consistent gaps in current pulse research that need to be addressed.