Mycotoxins of Concern in Children and Infant Cereal Food at European Level: Incidence and Bioaccessibility

Cereals are of utmost importance for the nutrition of infants and children, as they provide important nutrients for their growth and development and, in addition, they are easily digestible, being the best choice for the transition from breast milk/infant formula to solid foods. It is well known that children are more susceptible than adults to toxic food contaminants, such as mycotoxins, common contaminants in cereals. Many mycotoxins are already regulated and controlled according to strict quality control standards in Europe and around the world. There are, however, some mycotoxins about which the level of knowledge is lower: the so-called emerging mycotoxins, which are not yet regulated. The current review summarizes the recent information (since 2014) published in the scientific literature on the amounts of mycotoxins in infants' and children's cereal-based food in Europe, as well as their behaviour during digestion (bioaccessibility). Additionally, analytical methods used for mycotoxin determination and in vitro methods used to evaluate bioaccessibility are also reported. Some studies demonstrated the co-occurrence of regulated and emerging mycotoxins in cereal products used in children's food, which highlights the need to adopt guidelines on the simultaneous presence of more than one mycotoxin. Although very little research has been done on the bioaccessibility of mycotoxins in these food products, very interesting results correlating the fiber and lipid contents of such products with a higher or lower bioaccessibility of mycotoxins were reported. LC-MS/MS is the method of choice for the detection and quantification of mycotoxins due to its high sensibility and accuracy. In vitro static digestion models are the preferred ones for bioaccessibility evaluation due to their simplicity and accuracy.

Automated summary

Cereals play a crucial role in the nutrition of infants and children, but they can also contain toxic food contaminants such as mycotoxins. While many mycotoxins are regulated, there are emerging mycotoxins that are not yet regulated. This review focuses on recent research studying the levels and digestion behavior of mycotoxins in cereal-based foods for infants and children in Europe, as well as the methods used for their analysis and bioaccessibility evaluation. Studies have shown the co-occurrence of regulated and emerging mycotoxins in children's food, highlighting the need for guidelines on the simultaneous presence of multiple mycotoxins. Limited research has been done on the bioaccessibility of mycotoxins in these food products, but interesting results have been reported regarding the impact of fiber and lipid content on mycotoxin bioaccessibility. LC-MS/MS is considered the most sensitive and accurate method for mycotoxin detection, while in vitro static digestion models are preferred for evaluating bioaccessibility due to their simplicity and accuracy.