Guest Editors
Dr. José Pinela
Email: jose.pinela@iniav.pt
Affiliation: National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV, I.P.), Rua dos Lágidos, Lugar da Madalena, 4485-655 Vairão - Vila do Conde, Portugal
CIMO, La SusTEC, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
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Research Interests: wild edible plants, plant toxins, phytochemistry, alkaloids, phenolic compounds, food safety, food chemistry
Dr. Ricardo Oliveira
Email: ricardo.oliveira@iniav.pt
Affiliation: National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV, I.P.), Rua dos Lágidos, Lugar da Madalena, 4485-655 Vairão - Vila do Conde, Portugal
Homepage:
Research Interests: plant toxins, alkaloids, aptamers, biosensors, molecular biology, food safety, food quality
Summary
Plants synthesize a diverse array of natural toxins—including alkaloids, lectins, and cyanogenic glycosides—as specialized metabolites involved in defense against herbivores, pathogens, and abiotic stressors. While these compounds enhance plant fitness and ecological resilience, their accumulation in edible crops (e.g., solanine in potatoes, quinolizidine alkaloids in Lupinus, phytohemagglutinins in legumes and tropane alkaloids in cereals) poses significant risks to food and feed safety. The biosynthesis and accumulation of such toxins are modulated by environmental conditions (e.g., drought, UV radiation) and agricultural practices, highlighting the need for deeper mechanistic understanding and robust determination and mitigation strategies.
This Special Issue aims to bring together interdisciplinary research on natural plant toxins at the intersection of phytochemistry, plant genetics, environmental science, and food safety. We particularly welcome contributions that integrate experimental botany with these related disciplines to address complex and emerging challenges in the detection, regulation, and management of plant toxins, including:
· Innovative analytical approaches for the detection, profiling, and quantification of toxic plants and their metabolites;
· Integrated studies on the molecular, genetic, and environmental regulation of toxin biosynthesis;
· Cross-disciplinary strategies for toxin risk assessment and mitigation;
· Ecological and evolutionary functions of plant toxins in plant defense, adaptation, and ecosystem dynamics.
Keywords
Plant toxins; Toxic metabolites; Alkaloids; Lectins; Cyanogenic glycosides; Stress-induced toxins; Omics approaches; Toxin mitigation; Phytochemical analysis; Food safety
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