zearalenone

Overview

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a mycotoxin produced by certain fungi and is best known for its strong estrogenic activity. It is a food- and feed-contaminating compound of major toxicological concern, particularly in cereal-based commodities such as corn and stored grains. Because of its endocrine-disrupting properties, zearalenone can interfere with reproductive physiology and has also been associated in recent research contexts with broader toxicological concerns, including potential effects on liver and kidney function, immune responses, and carcinogenicity.

Biologically, zearalenone is important not as a therapeutic agent but as a hazardous contaminant that drives the development of detection, detoxification, and mitigation strategies. It is often studied alongside other mycotoxins such as Aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A, especially in food safety surveillance, storage studies, and analytical method development. Its Metabolites are also relevant, since they may contribute to the overall estrogenic or toxic burden in contaminated samples, including complex matrices such as cannabidiol-containing oils and dry herbs used for tea preparation.

Focus of Latest Publications

Recent publications on zearalenone have focused on both improved detection and mitigation of this mycotoxin, as well as on its occurrence in food and feed matrices. Several studies developed highly sensitive biosensing platforms for zearalenone determination, including an electrochemiluminescence aptasensor that combined single-atom nanozyme catalysis with a CRISPR-Cas12a/HCR cascade, and a fluorescence biosensor integrating a blocked primer exchange reaction with catalytic hairpin assembly and CRISPR/Cas12a trans-cleavage. These assays were designed to simplify analysis while increasing sensitivity and specificity, with reported detection limits in the sub-ng/mL range and broad linear ranges suitable for trace screening.

Other publications examined zearalenone contamination in foods and dietary exposure. In edible vegetable oils sampled in Korea, zearalenone was detected in most samples and exposure estimates remained well below the tolerable daily intake across lower-, middle-, and upper-bound scenarios. In dry herbs used for tea preparation, zearalenone was the most frequently detected mycotoxin, but chronic dietary risk assessment for total zearalenone indicated no health concern for consumers, with estimated intakes not exceeding 5% of the established PMTDI/TDI.

Research also addressed zearalenone detoxification and biological transformation. An engineered multicopper oxidase from Bacillus megaterium showed improved thermostability and enhanced zearalenone degradation activity, and LC-MS/MS indicated conversion to less toxic derivatives; zebrafish and Ames assays supported reduced toxicity and mutagenicity of the products. In stored rice grains, Bacillus subtilis RG01 suppressed zearalenone accumulation alongside other mycotoxins, suggesting a biocontrol approach for grain storage. In addition, zearalenone-14-glucoside was reported to form a self-assembled supramolecular gel that slowly released zearalenone and produced stronger tissue toxicity than zearalenone itself, linked to cytochrome P450 depletion.

One study also identified zearalenone, including metabolites, as a hazardous compound in cannabidiol-containing oils through effect-directed non-target screening and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Together, these publications highlight ongoing work on zearalenone as a contaminant of concern, with emphasis on ultrasensitive detection, exposure assessment, detoxification strategies, and the toxicological behavior of modified forms.

Key Publications

NEWJul Triple-amplification electrochemiluminescence aptasensor integrating single-atom nanozyme catalysis with CRISPR-Cas12a/HCR cascade for zearalenone detection. (Mikrochimica acta, 2026, PMID 42387193): "Herein, an interface-driven electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor was constructed for the ultrasensitive detection of zearalenone (ZEN), a mycotoxin of significant concern."
NEWJun Dietary exposure to ochratoxin A and zearalenone in edible vegetable oils among the Korean population. (Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment, 2026, PMID 42295805): "This research investigated the concentrations and dietary exposure of ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEN) in edible vegetable oils among the Korean population."
May Mycotoxins occurrence in dry herbs used for tea preparation: method validation, analysis of bulk samples and dietary risk assessment. (Mycotoxin research, 2026, PMID 42176122): "Zearalenone (ZEN) was the most frequently detected analyte (13.2%), followed by fumonisin B2 (FB2, 4.4%), aflatoxin B1 (AFB1, 3.3%), and ochratoxin A (OTA, 3.3%)."
May A novel high-sensitivity fluorescence detection technology for zearalenone based on the PER-triggered crRNA conformational change and CHA-coordinated energy supply. (Analytical methods : advancing methods and applications, 2026, PMID 42084031): "Zearalenone (ZEN), frequently encountered in corn, is a hazardous mycotoxin capable of impairing liver and kidney function, compromising immune responses, and potentially inducing carcinogenesis."
May Enhancing the Thermostability and Catalytic Activity of a Multicopper Oxidase from Bacillus megaterium for Aflatoxin B1 and Zearalenone Degradation. (Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 2026, PMID 42047502): "degrading Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and Zearalenone (ZEN)."
Apr Zearalenone-14-glucoside forms a self-assembled supramolecular gel with enhanced toxicity through cytochrome P450 depletion. (Chemico-biological interactions, 2026, PMID 42009287): "These in vivo and in vitro results suggested that Z14G slowly released ZEN."
Jun Bacillus subtilis RG01 effectively suppresses toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in stored rice grains through microbial community interaction. (International journal of food microbiology, 2026, PMID 41950675): "Simulated storage experiments further confirmed that treatment with B. subtilis RG01 effectively suppressed the accumulation of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and zearalenone (ZEN), achieving maximum reduction rates of 56.35%, 41.02%, and 38.87%, respectively."
May Unmasking hazardous compounds in cannabidiol-containing oils using planar bioassays and high-resolution mass spectrometry. (Talanta, 2026, PMID 41512620): "the estrogenic and mutagenic mycotoxin zearalenone, including metabolites."