Probiotics as Biocontrol Agents for Safe Approach Against Mycotoxins Contamination

Nowadays the continuous growing interest of consumers in natural and safe products and the problems associated with the use of chemical pesticides and food preservatives make it necessary to search for suitable protective alternatives. The International standards and the European legislation well describe the so-called known mycotoxins such as aflatoxins (AF), ochratoxin A (OTA), and trichothecenes, present in a variety of crops. However, information about mycotoxins in fresh fruit and vegetables is limited. Thus, to mitigate mycotoxin contamination, control approaches are used. One of the safe methods proposed is Bio-preservation, defined as the use of microorganisms, as well as their metabolic products, to prevent fungal growth and improve the food shelf life [1]. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are microorganisms commonly used in numerous industrial fermentation processes [2] and also represent a promising strategy against mycotoxins, which are resistant to washing process and temperature, to prevent spoilage of fruits and vegetables [3,4]. The presence of mycotoxin contamination in food has adverse human health effects and nowadays has become of global interest. To explore the possibility to use lactic bacteria as a biocontrol agent against secondary metabolites from micro fungi contaminating crops, tomatoes have been chosen as a case study.