Foodborne microbial toxins and their inhibition by plant-based chemicals

Abstract

Spoilage of food commodities by different microbes and associated toxins may cause potential health risks, particularly in tropical and subtropical countries. To control food spoilage, various synthetic chemicals with potential to induce ill effects on human and environmental integrity have been utilized indiscriminately. On the other hand, phytochemicals extracted from different medicinally important plants may be explored as green alternatives for prevention of microbial infestation of food commodities and toxin production. Phytochemicals such as terpenoids, phenols, glycosides, glucosinolates, alkaloids, lactones, and essential oils can regulate different key regulatory genes in food contaminating bacteria and fungi. So far, different classical as well as high throughput modern techniques have been employed to detect pathogenic microbes and their toxins in contaminated food system. The present article deals with the efficacy of phytochemicals as a potential green preservative together with the emphasis on their application as inhibitor of foodborne microbial toxins. © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.