Meeting the mycotoxin menace

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites of moulds belonging essentially to the Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium genera. They can be produced on a wide range of agricultural commodities and under a diverse range of situations. Due to their various toxic effects and their good thermal stability, the presence of mycotoxins in foods and feeds is potentially hazardous to the health of both humans and animals. For instance mycotoxins may cause damage to liver, kidney or the nervous system; some are even carcinogenic. There is growing concern about finding ways in which these fungi and their mycotoxins can be prevented from entering the human and animal food chain, and worldwide changes in legislation increase the need for more precise and sensitive mycotoxin analytical methods. ''Meeting the mycotoxin menace'' contains the peer-reviewed papers of the ''Second World Mycotoxin Forum'' held 17-18 February 2003 in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The book focusses on the various aspects related to the presence, prevention, control, sampling and analysis of mycotoxins in agricultural commodities, foods and feeds. Special attention is given to contemporary developments in the field