Agro-industrial Waste Products as Mycotoxin Biosorbents: A Review of in Vitro and in Vivo Studies

ABSTRACT Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi, which grow as contaminants of a variety of food and feed products. Exposure to these toxic chemicals may cause acute or chronic health problems in humans and animals. Several strategies have been proposed to decrease the amounts of these toxins in crops and food, but they have not been entirely effective, and consumption of contaminated food remains a public health threat. In animal husbandry, adsorbent compounds have been used as part of the animal diet to adsorb parts of these metabolites, promoting their elimination through the fecal route. However, these adsorbent agents are mostly non-biodegradable compounds and have been shown to have adverse effects; therefore, their use in humans is not predicted, and new materials are being investigated. Some residues of agro-industrial products have shown promising potentials to adsorb mycotoxins, such as aflatoxins (AFs), zearalenone (ZEN), and ochratoxin A (OTA). The present study aimed to critically review different types of agro-industrial wastes that have been used as potential adsorbents of mycotoxins in in vitro and in vivo studies. Such information is useful for improving the effectiveness of these treatments and their potential implementation in the animal feed production.