Mycotoxins negatively impact human health, reduce the quality of processed agricultural products, and are problematic for stored fruits, grains, nuts, and vegetables. Their presence has become increasingly pronounced with global climate change and mycotoxin-producing fungi that infect crops before, during, and after harvest. Storage facilities create an artificially controlled, ecological microcosm consisting of biotic and abiotic variables that provide unique opportunities to implement mycotoxin mitigation strategies. Pre- and postharvest approaches aimed at controlling mycotoxin-producing fungi and concomitant mycotoxin contamination/detoxification techniques have been explored. However, gaps remain concerning fundamental mechanisms of biological controls, interkingdom microbial signaling, and their translation into practical mycotoxin abatement and mitigation strategies. Thus, the proposed session will highlight new studies concerning mechanisms of biological control agents, the multi-functional role of these toxins, and conceptual applications of this knowledge to produce the next generation of postharvest fungal and mycotoxin abatement tools and tactics.
Learning Objectives
- Increased knowledge of biological control mechanisms and the roles of mycotoxins in different pathosystems.
- Understand how this information has and can be translated into new tools and tactics to mitigate decay and toxin production.
Be aware of the newest applications of biotechnology and plant engineering to solve mycotoxin contamination in agronomics and tree fruit.
Understanding of the microcosms that exist in a variety of stored crops.
Presenters:
