Mycotoxins in plant-based fermented products: challenges and perspectives

The adoption of plant-based diet has expanded worldwide, with more people using plant-based products for their perceived sustainability benefits and health-promoting objectives. Within this trend, fermentation of plant-based products is gaining attention for a variety of reasons as its role in extending shelf life, improving nutritional quality, digestibility, sensory attributes, and functional properties is very crucial. However, given the susceptibility of plant-based raw materials to mycotoxin contamination, alongside these benefits, plant-based fermented foods also face this emerging safety challenge. Mycotoxin contamination is originated from raw plant substrates such as cereals, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds, from unsuitable environmental conditions during storage, or from fermentation-associated fungi themselves. The current work summarizes the occurrence of regulated and emerging mycotoxins in plant-based matrices and discuss fermentation as a double-edged strategy for mycotoxin risk, with outcomes strongly dependent on the strain–matrix combination and process control. • Regulatory frameworks for mycotoxins is lacking for the fermented plant-based products • Use of well-characterized fermentative strains, selected for their inability to produce mycotoxins should be considered • Microbial detoxification of mycotoxins can be achieved during fermentation