Occurrence And Toxicity Of Major Mycotoxins

By KennyHBW On Dec 7, 2021

Occurrence and Toxicity of Major Mycotoxins

Mycotoxin contamination can occur pre-harvest when the crop plant is growing or post-harvest during the

processing, packaging, distribution, and storage of food products. Generally, all crops and cereals that are

improperly stored under feverish temperature and prompting humidity for a prolonged time can be subject to mold

growth and mycotoxin contamination.

Maize is considered to be the crop most susceptible to mycotoxins contamination, while rice is the least.

Most mycotoxins are chemically and thermally stable during food processing, including cooking, boiling, baking,

frying, roasting, and pasteurization. Mycotoxins can also come to the human plate via animal products such as meat,

eggs, milk as the result of the animal eating contaminated feed. Many national and international public health and

governmental authorities such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), World Health Organization (WHO),

Food Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), are paying serious attention

to mycotoxin contamination in food and feed and addressing this global problem by adopting strict regulatory

guidelines for major mycotoxin classes in food and feed. Currently, about 100 countries have established limits on

the presence of major mycotoxins in food and feed. (Magnoli et al;2007).