The increasing reliance on plant-based proteins as key components of sustainable food systems has raised new food safety challenges, particularly regarding mycotoxin occurrence in legumes. Climate change, globalised supply chains and extended storage conditions are altering fungal contamination patterns, while scientific knowledge on mycotoxin occurrence, co-exposure and toxicological relevance in legume-based matrices remains limited. This gap represents a critical barrier to evidence-based risk assessment and mitigation strategies for emerging protein supply chains.
MYCOBEANS was designed to address this gap by generating integrated scientific knowledge on mycotoxin contamination in beans and related legume products, combining advanced analytical chemistry, exposure assessment, toxicological evaluation and risk mitigation approaches. The project responds directly to European policy priorities on food safety, sustainability and the transition towards resilient and safe protein systems, aligning with EU strategies on food system resilience, consumer protection and public health.
The overall objective of MYCOBEANS is to develop a robust framework for the detection, characterisation and risk assessment of mycotoxins in legume-based food and feed chains, supporting targeted mitigation strategies. To achieve this, the project follows a structured pathway in which analytical method development and occurrence data generation underpin realistic exposure assessment, toxicological investigations and risk-informed decision-making.
MYCOBEANS adopts a multidisciplinary and international approach, integrating expertise from analytical chemistry, food safety, toxicology and risk assessment, and promoting structured knowledge exchange between academic and non-academic partners across Europe and non-EU countries. Training and staff exchanges are a core component, ensuring capacity building, harmonisation of methodologies and long-term impact beyond the project lifetime.
Through the generation of high-quality analytical data, improved understanding of exposure scenarios and transferable methodological tools, MYCOBEANS is expected to contribute to more reliable risk assessment of mycotoxins in legumes, supporting regulators, industry and other stakeholders in addressing emerging food safety risks. The project’s outcomes are designed to have relevance at European and international level, particularly in the context of evolving dietary patterns and global protein supply chains.
