Fungal drivers of mycotoxin contamination in wheat: Early warning and plasma-based control.

Keyi Zou; Shujuan Chen; Lin Ji; Guoyan Wu; Ke Zhao; Jingxia Fu; Xiumei Yu; Xiaoxue Shan; Likou Zou

doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2026.119965

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Fungal drivers of mycotoxin contamination in wheat: Early warning and plasma-based control.

Keyi Zou·Shujuan Chen·Lin Ji·Guoyan Wu·Ke Zhao·Jingxia Fu·Xiumei Yu·Xiaoxue Shan·Likou Zou

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Abstract

Mycotoxin contamination in wheat is a major food safety concern; however, quantitative evidence linking fungal community signals, mycotoxin exceedance risk, and wheat quality traits in naturally contaminated wheat remains limited. In this study, wheat samples were collected from mycotoxin-prone monitoring sites under unusually rainy conditions in 2022 to explore early-warning indicators and post-harvest mitigation strategies. According to the National Food Safety Standard of China GB 2761-2017, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), deoxynivalenol (DON), and zearalenone (ZEN) exceeded the maximum limits in 52.24, 47.76, and 23.88% of samples, respectively; 38.81% exceeded the reference EU threshold for T-2 toxin, and 46.27% showed co-contamination with at least two mycotoxins above their respective thresholds. Although Alternaria, Cladosporium, and Epicoccum dominated the fungal community, Fusarium abundance was significantly associated with DON contamination and Fusarium-damaged kernels (FDKs). Mediation analysis identified DON as a significant mediator linking Fusarium abundance to FDKs, accounting for 68.41% of the total effect. In addition, Fusarium abundance above 3.70% showed strong predictive performance for DON exceedance, with an area under the curve of 0.906, indicating its potential as an early-warning indicator. Culture-based assays confirmed the toxigenic potential of Aspergillus and Fusarium isolates under simulated temperature and moisture conditions. After optimization using a toxin-spiked wheat flour model, dielectric barrier discharge cold plasma degraded AFB1, DON, and ZEN by 29.30-35.68%, disrupted the morphology of toxigenic fungi, and did not significantly affect wheat quality. This study provides practical insights into mycotoxin risk warning and post-harvest mitigation in wheat.

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Triticum Mycotoxins Food Contamination Fungi Trichothecenes Fusarium Food Microbiology China Aflatoxin B1 Zearalenone Cold plasma Early warning Fungal community Mycotoxin Wheat Journal Article

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Keyi Zou, Shujuan Chen, Lin Ji, Guoyan Wu, Ke Zhao, Jingxia Fu, Xiumei Yu, Xiaoxue Shan, Likou Zou. 2026-07-10. Fungal drivers of mycotoxin contamination in wheat: Early warning and plasma-based control.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2026.119965

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