Emerging Mycotoxins: Beyond Traditionally Determined Food Contaminants

Mycotoxins, Natural Contaminants in the Food Chain

Masked Mycotoxins: an Emerging Issue for Food Safety

The presence of masked or hidden forms of Fusarium mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, DON, zearalenone, ZEN and fumonisins B1, B2 and B3) were studied in wheat and maize derived products. Significant amounts of these forms were found both in raw and in processed food commodities. Deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside was found in wheat products up to 30% of DON concentration. Bound forms of fumonisins often acco...

Mycotoxins in Food

The term mycotoxin was used for the first time in 1961 in the aftermath of a veterinary crisis in England, during which thousands of animals died. The disease was linked to a peanut meal, incorporated in the diet, contaminated with a toxin produced by the filamentous fungus Aspergillus flavus (Bennet & Klich, 2003; Richard, 2007). In general, mycotoxins are low-molecular-weight compounds that a...

Food Mycotoxins: An Update

Unavoidable, natural contaminants in foods may have either chemical or biological origin. Mycotoxins—toxic secondary metabolites of fungi—are biological in origin. Despite efforts to control fungal contamination, toxigenic fungi are ubiquitous in nature and occur regularly in worldwide food supplies due to mold infestation of susceptible agricultural products, such as cereal grains, nuts, and f...

10 Mycotoxins in Food