Co-Occurrence of Taste and Odor Compounds and Cyanotoxins in Cyanobacterial Blooms: Emerging Risks to Human Health?
Cyanobacteria commonly form large blooms in waterbodies; they can produce cyanotoxins, with toxic effects on humans and animals, and volatile compounds, causing bad tastes and odors (T&O) at naturally occurring low concentrations. Notwithstanding the large amount of literature on either cyanotox...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | Microorganisms |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/4/872 |
| _version_ | 1797604226902261760 |
|---|---|
| author | Maura Manganelli Emanuela Testai Zakaria Tazart Simona Scardala Geoffrey A. Codd |
| author_facet | Maura Manganelli Emanuela Testai Zakaria Tazart Simona Scardala Geoffrey A. Codd |
| author_sort | Maura Manganelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cyanobacteria commonly form large blooms in waterbodies; they can produce cyanotoxins, with toxic effects on humans and animals, and volatile compounds, causing bad tastes and odors (T&O) at naturally occurring low concentrations. Notwithstanding the large amount of literature on either cyanotoxins or T&O, no review has focused on them at the same time. The present review critically evaluates the recent literature on cyanotoxins and T&O compounds (geosmin, 2-methylisoborneol, β-ionone and β-cyclocitral) to identify research gaps on harmful exposure of humans and animals to both metabolite classes. T&O and cyanotoxins production can be due to the same or common to different cyanobacterial species/strains, with the additional possibility of T&O production by non-cyanobacterial species. The few environmental studies on the co-occurrence of these two groups of metabolites are not sufficient to understand if and how they can co-vary, or influence each other, perhaps stimulating cyanotoxin production. Therefore, T&Os cannot reliably serve as early warning surrogates for cyanotoxins. The scarce data on T&O toxicity seem to indicate a low health risk (but the inhalation of β-cyclocitral deserves more study). However, no data are available on the effects of combined exposure to mixtures of cyanotoxins and T&O compounds and to combinations of T&O compounds; therefore, whether the co-occurrence of cyanotoxins and T&O compounds is a health issue remains an open question. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:43:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2f490a597fcb468680600f88fff55ec5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:43:20Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-2f490a597fcb468680600f88fff55ec52023-11-17T20:31:46ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072023-03-0111487210.3390/microorganisms11040872Co-Occurrence of Taste and Odor Compounds and Cyanotoxins in Cyanobacterial Blooms: Emerging Risks to Human Health?Maura Manganelli0Emanuela Testai1Zakaria Tazart2Simona Scardala3Geoffrey A. Codd4Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Environment and Health, viale Regina Elena, 299, 00162 Rome, ItalyIstituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Environment and Health, viale Regina Elena, 299, 00162 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Food Sciences and Nutrition, University of Malta, 2080 Msida, MaltaIstituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Environment and Health, viale Regina Elena, 299, 00162 Rome, ItalySchool of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UKCyanobacteria commonly form large blooms in waterbodies; they can produce cyanotoxins, with toxic effects on humans and animals, and volatile compounds, causing bad tastes and odors (T&O) at naturally occurring low concentrations. Notwithstanding the large amount of literature on either cyanotoxins or T&O, no review has focused on them at the same time. The present review critically evaluates the recent literature on cyanotoxins and T&O compounds (geosmin, 2-methylisoborneol, β-ionone and β-cyclocitral) to identify research gaps on harmful exposure of humans and animals to both metabolite classes. T&O and cyanotoxins production can be due to the same or common to different cyanobacterial species/strains, with the additional possibility of T&O production by non-cyanobacterial species. The few environmental studies on the co-occurrence of these two groups of metabolites are not sufficient to understand if and how they can co-vary, or influence each other, perhaps stimulating cyanotoxin production. Therefore, T&Os cannot reliably serve as early warning surrogates for cyanotoxins. The scarce data on T&O toxicity seem to indicate a low health risk (but the inhalation of β-cyclocitral deserves more study). However, no data are available on the effects of combined exposure to mixtures of cyanotoxins and T&O compounds and to combinations of T&O compounds; therefore, whether the co-occurrence of cyanotoxins and T&O compounds is a health issue remains an open question.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/4/872cyanobacteriageosmin2-methylisoborneolβ-iononeβ-cyclocitralmicrocystins |
| spellingShingle | Maura Manganelli Emanuela Testai Zakaria Tazart Simona Scardala Geoffrey A. Codd Co-Occurrence of Taste and Odor Compounds and Cyanotoxins in Cyanobacterial Blooms: Emerging Risks to Human Health? Microorganisms cyanobacteria geosmin 2-methylisoborneol β-ionone β-cyclocitral microcystins |
| title | Co-Occurrence of Taste and Odor Compounds and Cyanotoxins in Cyanobacterial Blooms: Emerging Risks to Human Health? |
| title_full | Co-Occurrence of Taste and Odor Compounds and Cyanotoxins in Cyanobacterial Blooms: Emerging Risks to Human Health? |
| title_fullStr | Co-Occurrence of Taste and Odor Compounds and Cyanotoxins in Cyanobacterial Blooms: Emerging Risks to Human Health? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Co-Occurrence of Taste and Odor Compounds and Cyanotoxins in Cyanobacterial Blooms: Emerging Risks to Human Health? |
| title_short | Co-Occurrence of Taste and Odor Compounds and Cyanotoxins in Cyanobacterial Blooms: Emerging Risks to Human Health? |
| title_sort | co occurrence of taste and odor compounds and cyanotoxins in cyanobacterial blooms emerging risks to human health |
| topic | cyanobacteria geosmin 2-methylisoborneol β-ionone β-cyclocitral microcystins |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/4/872 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mauramanganelli cooccurrenceoftasteandodorcompoundsandcyanotoxinsincyanobacterialbloomsemergingriskstohumanhealth AT emanuelatestai cooccurrenceoftasteandodorcompoundsandcyanotoxinsincyanobacterialbloomsemergingriskstohumanhealth AT zakariatazart cooccurrenceoftasteandodorcompoundsandcyanotoxinsincyanobacterialbloomsemergingriskstohumanhealth AT simonascardala cooccurrenceoftasteandodorcompoundsandcyanotoxinsincyanobacterialbloomsemergingriskstohumanhealth AT geoffreyacodd cooccurrenceoftasteandodorcompoundsandcyanotoxinsincyanobacterialbloomsemergingriskstohumanhealth |