Crops contaminated by aflatoxins (AFs), the toxic and carcinogenic mycotoxins produced namely by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, have severe impacts on human health. Changes in temperature and water availability related to actual climate changes (increased temperature, heavy rainfalls, and droughts) are modulating factors of mould growth and production of mycotoxins. To protect human and animal health from the harmful effects caused by AFs, the development of a safe and effective multifaceted approach in combating food and feed contamination with AFs is necessary. This review aims to collect and analyze the available information regarding AF presence in food and feed to reinforce AF management and to prevent health issues related to the AF exposure in the light of actual climate changes.

In agricultural activities, pest control is essential, and the most effective method is the use of chemical agents that also represent an important source of exposure to potentially toxic compounds. Pesticides constitute a heterogeneous group of compounds designed specifically to control different pests. Besides measuring their levels or that of their metabolites in air, plasma, serum, blood, urine, etc., some studies reported increased DNA damage levels after occupational or environmental pesticides exposure, evidenced by several cytogenetic biomarkers such as chromosomal aberrations (CA), sister chromatid exchanges (SCE), micronuclei frequency (MN) together with other nuclear abnormalities (NA), alkaline comet assay, but also changes in oxidative stress parameters and miRNA levels. Single or combined, these techniques have also been used in genotoxic biomonitoring studies of workers occupationally exposed to pesticides in Mexico. Despite being a country with great agricultural activity and reported excessive pesticide use, genotoxic studies have been relatively few and, in some cases, contradictory. A review was made of the studies available (published until the end of 2020 on PubMed, Web of Science, Redalyc and Scielo, both in English and Spanish) in the scientific literature that evaluated occupational exposure of human samples to pesticides assessed with DNA damage and related biomarkers in Mexico.

In the municipality of Los Reyes, Michoacán, in Mexico, several economic activities coexist; however, the most relevant is agriculture. It stands out as an agro-industrial center and commercial enclave in the region, suitable for the cultivation of sugar cane; however, currently fruit growing takes first place with blackberry, raspberry and blueberry, followed by avocado, peach, strawberry and other crops. A large quantity and variety of pesticides are applied to crops, consequently the population is at constant risk. This study aimed to evaluate whether pesticides are a factor in genetic damage to agricultural workers from Los Reyes, Michoacán, using alkaline comet assay. Fifty-nine residents participated (41 workers and 18 controls). Results included confounding factors (alcohol consumption, smoking habit, gender, age, BMI, etc.) indicated a non-significant statistical difference between two groups, with higher DNA damage values in workers that was higher than the values expected in a normal healthy unexposed population. It seems that the control measures, safe handling of pesticides and quality standards, required by the producers so that their products can be exported, have resulted in less damage, despite workers’ activity, but higher damage than the reference values still requires regular surveillance of those exposed. The use of protective equipment or measures can reduce the risk of damage, so it is also necessary to promote their service and comply with labor regulations for agricultural workers.

Soil quality in volcanic soils in a forest biosphere reserve in Mexico | Yaselda Chavarin-Pineda, Eduardo C. Reynoso, Eduardo Torres, Gerardo Cruz-Flores, Ma. Guadalupe Tenorio-Arvide, Gladys Linares-Fleites, Miguel Ángel Valera-Pérez | Agricultural Journals

A simple and rapid method for the determination of dimethoate in water was developed based on the monitoring of the complex formation between bis 5-phenyldipyrrinate of nickel (II) and the herbicide dimethoate. The method showed a short response time (10 s), high selectivity (very low interference from other sulfate and salts), high sensitivity (limit of detection (LOD) 0.45 µM, limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 1.39 µM), and a K_d of 2.4 µM. Stoichiometry experiments showed that complex formation occurred with a 1:1 relation. The method was applied to different environmental water samples such as lagoon, stream, urban, and groundwater samples. The results indicated that independently from the water source, the method exhibited high precision (0.25–2.47% variation coefficient) and accuracy (84.42–115.68% recovery). In addition, the method was also tested using an effluent from a wastewater treatment plant from Mexico; however, the results indicated that the presence of organic matter had a pronounced effect on the detection.

The provision of ecosystem services (ES) in a particular region is strongly related to land use. In 2013, San José Chiapa, México, was selected as the new operations base for an automotive company. The installation of the new automotive plant will encourage population growth from 8000 to 200,000 inhabitants by 2050. Consequently, the rise in the demand for land to urbanize will increase at a rate expected to have a significant impact in terms of land-use change, affecting the provision of ES in the region. This paper aims to characterize the ES provision that was present in the region before industrialization and to evaluate the potential effect of land-use change on ES provision. This study analyzed geographic and demographic information and involved a series of field trips to characterize the services present in the area. The ES budget is positive regarding the production of biomass, due to the rural nature of most of the study area. However, this picture is changing with the continuous growth of urban areas due to economic development. This is a critical point for the region regarding ES provision, and only a joint effort between municipalities and industry will make it possible for the region to seize on development while maintaining ES provision.