Ana Silvia de Lara Pires Batista Gomes

Approximately 25% of cereal grains present with contamination caused by fungi and the presence of mycotoxins that may cause severe adverse effects when consumed. Maize has been genetically engineered to present different traits, such as fungal or insect resistance and herbicide tolerance. This systematic review compared the observable quantities, via meta-analysis, of four mycotoxins (aflatoxins—AFL, fumonisins—FUM, deoxynivalenol—DON, zearalenone—ZEA) between genetically modified (GM) and conventional maize kernels. This study was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines, with searches performed using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and CAPES journals databases. Analyses were conducted using RevMan v.5.4 software. Transgenic maize showed a 58% reduction in total mycotoxins (p < 0.001) compared to conventional maize. FUM were the most impacted, with a 59% reduction (p < 0.001) in GM maize. AFL and ZEA levels were also lower in GM maize by 49% (p = 0.02) and 51% (p < 0.001), respectively. On the other hand, DON levels increased by 6% (p < 0.001) in GM maize compared to conventional maize. However, results for ZEA and DON were inconclusive due to the limited research and sample sizes. We conclude that transgenic maize reduces total mycotoxins by over 50%, primarily fumonisin and aflatoxin. Most studies presented maize varieties that were resistant to insects or herbicides, not fungal pathogens, showing a positive collateral effect of these genetic alterations. Therefore, transgenic maize appears to be a safer product for animal and human consumption from a toxicological point of view. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our findings for ZEA and DON in transgenic maize.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by fungi that contaminates many crops, mainly wheat, maize, and barley. It affects animal health, causing intestinal barrier impairment and immunostimulatory effect in low doses and emesis, reduction in feed conversion rate, and immunosuppression in high doses. As it is very hard to completely avoid DON’s production in the field, mitigatory methods have been developed. Biodegradation has become a promising method as new microorganisms are studied and new enzymatic routes are described. Understanding the common root of bacteria with DON degradation capability and the relationship with their place of isolation may bring insights for more effective ways to find DON-degrading microorganisms. The purpose of this review is to bring an overview of the occurrence, regulation, metabolism, and toxicology of DON as addressed in recent publications focusing on animal production, as well as to explore the enzymatic routes described for DON’s degradation by microorganisms and the phylogenetic relationship among them.