Food bioactive compounds with prevention functionalities against fungi and mycotoxins: developments and challenges

Infection or contamination by pathogenic fungi has been a widespread problem, causing fungal diseases, food spoilage, and economic losses. It is also responsible for mycotoxin contamination, which is a major health concern for food safety and security, due to its adverse health effects and socioeconomic impacts. There has been a search for ideal preventive management strategies for fungi and mycotoxins. In this review, some food nutraceuticals, prebiotic, probiotics, and their combinations based on new technologies show prevention functionalities and increasingly important applications as promising alternatives. Considerable research on molecular mechanisms of antifungal, detoxification, and antimycotoxicosis is called for, which is of great significance to the integrated management of fungi and mycotoxins, especially to achieve food safety in terms of mycotoxins.