Mycotoxins in beverages: Occurrence, regulation, economic impact and cost-effectiveness of preventive and removal methods

The risk of mycotoxins is a global issue and nowadays there is an increasing concern with their potential effects on human health. Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi, whose occurrence in beverages is global. Worldwide regulations (with significant emphasis in the EU) are paying special attention to this matter and many beverages have been already affected by regulations establishing maximum levels of mycotoxins. Ochratoxin A, patulin, Alternaria toxins, deoxynivalenol, and aflatoxin M₁ are the most commonly mycotoxins found in beverages. All of them have been shown to cause health hazards and are related to significant economic losses in the beverage industry. This chapter provides an overview of the prevalence of mycotoxins, related current global legislation, and their economic impact on beverages. Finally, several actual methods to prevent and remove mycotoxins from beverages are reviewed and a brief analysis about the need to conduct further research about the cost effectiveness of these methods is provided.