Safety concerns on biological contaminations in fermented foods: Special focus on fungi and mycotoxins

There are rising concerns regarding the consumption of fermented foods regarding their safety to microbial contaminations from fermenting consortium and food processing materials. On the other hand, there has been a dramatic increase in demand for safe foods and the major concerns are not just associated with the methods of food production, but also with all stages across the supply chain. Mycotoxins, produced by some groups of fungi, are known to impact on significant economic loss. Their presence in foods at levels above regulatory limits brings about adverse effects on sustainable food supply, posing health risks to humans and animals, as well as limitations on international trade. Mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, fumonisins, deoxynivalenol and citrinin are the majorly identified in the etiology of food safety concerns causing numerous food-borne diseases. This chapter discusses fungi-mycotoxin contaminations in different fermented food products, highlights the major components influencing the microbial safety of fermented foods (including lack of proper processing and handling, and poor storage conditions which could trigger the production of these naturally occurring toxic compounds) as well as their impacts on economic and human health. From the various studies reviewed, mycotoxins were mainly detected in soy-based (tempeh, doenjang, soy sauce, meju, miso and shoyu) and rice-based (Red yeast rice and sake) fermented food products. Hence, there is a need for the integration of mycotoxin mitigation actions to safeguard the quality of raw materials used in food fermentation and to ensure the consumption of safe and healthy foods.