Mycotoxins in vegetable oils

Abstract

Vegetable oils are obtained from oil seeds and fruits and are widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. In recent years, consumers' interest in vegetable oils has increased. The most important reason is that they are associated with health due to factors such as providing high energy, being a source of essential fatty acids, carrying fat-soluble vitamins, and containing compounds with antioxidant activity. On the other hand, they may contain some contaminants, such as mycotoxins. Vegetable oils can be contaminated with mycotoxins through raw materials exposed to unsuitable conditions. In this review, studies on the presence of mycotoxins in vegetable oils were examined. As a result, it has been observed that vegetable oils can be contaminated with mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, fumonisin, ochratoxin, deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone at different levels. It was concluded that contamination should be prevented and measures should be taken against mould growth and mycotoxin formation in raw materials.