Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin that can contaminate a wide range of crops such as grains and grapes. In this study, a novel fungal mutant strain (FS-UV-21) with a high OTA degradation rate (74.5%) was obtained from Aspergillus niger irradiated with ultraviolet light (15 W for 20 min). The effect of pH, temperature, and inoculation concentration on the degradation of OTA by FS-UV-21 was investigated, and the results revealed that the detoxification effect was optimal (89.4%) at a pH of 8 and a temperature of 30 °C. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to characterize the degraded products of OTA, and the main degraded product was ochratoxin α. Triple quadrupole-linear ion trap-mass spectrometry combined with LightSight software was used to analyze the biotransformation pathway of OTA in FS-UV-21, to trace the degraded products, and to identify the main metabolite, P1 (C₁₉H₁₈ClNO₆, m/z 404). After the FS-UV-21 strain was treated with OTA, the HepG2 cellular toxicity of the degradation products was significantly reduced. For the real sample, FS-UV-21 was used to remove OTA from wheat bran contaminated by mycotoxins through fermentation, resulting in the degradation of 59.8% of OTA in wheat bran. Therefore, FS-UV-21 can be applied to the degradation of OTA in agricultural products and food.

Patulin, a mycotoxin commonly found in fruits and derived products, causes serious health problems for humans and animals worldwide. Several microbial strains have been observed to possess the ability to effectively remove patulin. However, these methods are presently associated with disadvantages such as low degradation efficiency and an unclear biodegradation mechanism. In the current study, the characteristics of patulin degradation via Aspergillus niger FS10 were evaluated, and the mechanisms involved were analyzed using metabolomics technologies. The results showed that the suspension of A. niger FS10 could degrade 94.72% of patulin within 36 h. The moment concentration pf patulin was 0.116 μg/mL, and the detection limit value was 0.01 μg/mL. In addition, the patulin content was reduced to levels below the detection limit within 48 h. A. niger FS10 mainly degrades patulin by producing intracellular enzymes, which can convert patulin into ascladiol. This degradation method can effectively reduce the damage caused by patulin to HepG2 cells. In addition, the patulin treatment significantly affects the pentose phosphate pathway and the glutathione pathway. These two metabolic pathways are speculated to be closely related to patulin degradation via A. niger FS10. The incubation of A. niger FS10 with patulin-contaminated apple pomace can not only eliminate patulin but also increase the utilization of apple pomace. Therefore, our research results provide a new method for addressing patulin contamination in the food and feed industries.

Mycotoxins are a class of exogenous metabolites that are major contributors to foodborne diseases and pose a potential threat to human health. However, little attention has been paid to trace mycotoxin co-exposure situations in vivo. To address this, we devised a novel analytical strategy, both highly sensitive and comprehensive, for quantifying 67 mycotoxins in human plasma samples. This method employs isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) for approximately 40% of the analytes and utilizes internal standard quantification for the rest. The mycotoxins were classified into three categories according to their physicochemical properties, facilitating the optimization of extraction and detection parameters to improve analytical performance. The lowest limits of detection and quantitation were 0.001–0.5 μg/L and 0.002–1 μg/L, respectively, the intra-day precision ranged from 1.8% to 11.9% RSD, and the intra-day trueness ranged from 82.7–116.6% for all mycotoxins except Ecl, DH-LYS, PCA, and EnA (66.4–129.8%), showing good analytical performance of the method for biomonitoring. A total of 40 mycotoxins (including 24 emerging mycotoxins) were detected in 184 plasma samples (89 from infertile males and 95 from healthy males) using the proposed method, emphasizing the widespread exposure of humans to both traditional and emerging mycotoxins. The most frequently detected mycotoxins were ochratoxin A, ochratoxin B, enniatin B, and citrinin. The incidence of exposure to multiple mycotoxins was significantly higher in infertile males than in healthy subjects, particularly levels of ochratoxin A, ochratoxin B, and citrinin, which were significantly increased. It is necessary to carry out more extensive biological monitoring to provide data support for further study of the relationship between mycotoxins and male infertility.

With increasing health awareness and the accelerating pace of life, whole-grain prepared foods have gained popularity due to their health benefits and convenience. However, the potential risk of type B trichothecene toxins has also increased, and these mycotoxins in such foods are rarely regulated. In this study, a quantitative method combining a single-valve dual-column automatic online solid-phase extraction system with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) was developed for the first time using restricted-access media columns. This method can simultaneously determine trace residues of seven type B trichothecenes within 15 min. The method is convenient, sensitive (limit of detection and quantification of 0.05–0.6 μg/kg and 0.15–2 μg/kg, respectively), accurate (recovery rates of 90.3%–106.6%, relative standard deviation < 4.3%), and robust (>1000 times). The established method was applied to 160 prepared food samples of eight categories sold in China. At least one toxin was detected in 70% of the samples. Whole-wheat dumpling wrappers had the highest contamination rate (95%) and the highest total content of type B trichothecenes in a single sample (2077.3 μg/kg). Exposure risk assessment indicated that the contamination of whole-grain prepared foods has been underestimated. The total health risk index of whole-wheat dumpling wrappers, which are susceptible to deoxynivalenol, reached 136.41%, posing a significant threat to human health. Effective measures urgently need to be taken to control this risk.