The Mycotoxin Factbook

"Mycotoxins are poisonous chemical compounds produced by certain fungi. There are many such compounds, but only a few of them are regularly found in food and animal feedstuffs. Nevertheless, those that do occur in food and feed have great significance in the health of humans and livestock. The effects of some mycotoxins are acute, with symptoms of severe illness appearing very quickly. Other mycotoxins have longer term chronic or cumulative effects on health, including the induction of cancers and immune deficiency. Information about mycotoxins is far from complete, but enough is known to identify them as a serious problem in many parts of the world, causing significant economic losses in addition to their negative health effects. 'The mycotoxin factbook' is aimed at the latest developments to combat the mycotoxin problem. The book contains the peer-reviewed papers of the third conference of the World Mycotoxin Forum. The various chapters focus on mycotoxin food and feed risks in the context of human nutrition and animal feeding. Topics dealt with in 'The mycotoxin factbook' are: - Regulatory issues, international developments and the impact on worldtrade - The latest information on major mycotoxins and emerging problems in the food chain - The impact of mycotoxins in the feed chain - New developments in mycotoxin prevention - Trends in mycotoxin analysis 'The mycotoxin factbook' is a valuable resource for researchers and professionals from the food and feed industry as well as from the scientific community. This book is an ideal supplement to 'Meeting the mycotoxin menace' as published in 2004."

Mycotoxins are poisonous chemical compounds produced by certain fungi. There are many such compounds, but only a few of them are regularly found in food and animal feedstuffs. Nevertheless, those that do occur in food and feed have great significance in the health of humans and livestock. The effects of some mycotoxins are acute, with symptoms of severe illness appearing very quickly. Other mycotoxins have longer-term chronic or cumulative effects on health, including the induction of cancers and immune deficiency. Information about mycotoxins is far from complete, but enough is known to identify them as a serious problem in many parts of the world, causing significant economic losses in addition to their negative health effects. The Mycotoxin Factbook is aimed at the latest developments to combat the mycotoxin problem. The book contains the peer-reviewed papers of the third conference of the World Mycotoxin Forum. The various chapters focus on mycotoxin food and feed risks in the context of human nutrition and animal feeding.

Mycotoxins are produced worldwide by several fungi on a wide range of agricultural commodities and are closely related to human and animal food chains. Examining mycotoxins and their impact from a public health viewpoint, this book provides an overview and introduction to the subject and examines the health, trade and legislation issues involved. Management of mycotoxins is discussed in detail as well as the global problems caused by mycotoxins.

Cereal grain safety from farm to table Mycotoxin Reduction in Grain Chains examines the ways in which food producers, inspectors, and processors can keep our food supply safe. Providing guidance on identification, eradication, and prevention at each stop on the "grain chain, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone who works with cereal grains. Discussions include breeding and crop management, chemical control, contamination prediction, and more for maize, wheat, sorghum, rice, and other major grains. Relevant and practical in the field, the lab, and on the production floor, this book features critical guidance for every point from farm to table.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Selected Papers from the 5th International Symposium on Mycotoxins and Toxigenic Moulds: Challenges and Perspectives" that was published in Toxins

Mycotoxins are toxins produced by aerobic, microscopic fungus under special conditions of moisture and temperature. They colonize in a variety of foods from harvest to the grocer. Mycotoxins have gained world wide interest in recent years with the revelation of the effect of these toxins on health. A current example is the presence of ochratoxin A, a human carcinogen and nephrotoxin, in wines. The increased concern about fruit safety has led to increased studies throughout the world and enhanced awareness for stringent regulations governing mycotoxin limits in food. Presented in three defined sections, this is the first book to provide comprehensive analysis of the main mycotoxins contaminating fruits and vegetables and their derived products. The first section provides a safety evaluation of mycotoxins in fruits and vegetables, details regarding factors affecting mycotoxin production and diffusion in the fruit tissue, and recent methods for detection of mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxins produced by the fungi. The second part takes a critical look at the main individual mycotoxins and the third section focuses on approaches for prevention and control. * The first book dedicated to mycotoxins in fruits and vegetables * Presents mycological, mycotoxicological and phytopathological aspects of fruits and vegetables * Includes an analysis of detection, prevention and control methods for mycotoxigenic fungi and the mycotoxins they produce * Provides a complete risk assessment and safety evaluation of mycotoxins in perishable produce

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi. They cause deleterious effects on humans, animals, and plants. More than one hundred mycotoxins are known which contaminate food and feed raw materials. Fungal infection and mycotoxin contamination can occur directly in fields (pre-harvest stage), during storage, or during industrial processing (post-harvest stage). Given the proven toxicity of mycotoxins and their widespread distribution, it is necessary to prevent their occurrence in food and feed. To limit mycotoxin contamination, several techniques can be adopted at the pre-harvest or post-harvest stages. These techniques can reduce mycotoxin concentration through fungal growth reduction or mechanisms leading to mycotoxin degradation or mycotoxin detoxification (i.e., reduction of the toxicity). Until very recently, fungicides were favored to limit mycotoxin contamination by reducing fungal growth. Nonetheless, the sanitary and environmental impacts of these products and their effects on food quality encourage the development of alternative strategies based on biocontrol agents (BCAs) or natural compounds. Moreover, in some cases, fungal growth reduction can stimulate mycotoxin production. The focus of this Special Issue of Toxins is to gather the most recent advances related to reducing mycotoxin contamination in food and feed using BCAs and natural compounds. In this context, two main types of approaches can be proposed: Preventive methods that could be applied in the field, during storage, or during industrial processing and curative methods that detoxify contaminated matrices by eliminating the produced mycotoxin.