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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Mycotoxins and food

Nai Tran-Dinh
+ Author Affiliations
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CSIRO Animal, Food and Health Sciences
Riverside Corporate Park
11 Julius Avenue, North Ryde
NSW 2113, Australia
Tel: +61 2 9490 8473
Email: Nai.Tran-Dinh@csiro.au

Microbiology Australia 34(2) 70-72 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA13024
Published: 13 May 2013

Abstract

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi that may occur in almost all food commodities but particularly in cereals, oilseeds and nuts. They are recognised as an unavoidable risk and are found in the world’s most important food and feed crops, including maize, wheat, and barley. When present in foods in sufficiently high levels, mycotoxins pose a significant food safety risk and health hazard. Besides negative health impacts, mycotoxin contamination of food and feeds has a major worldwide economic impact. Mycotoxin contamination of foods is the subject of increasing international importance due to a number of worldwide issues, including globalisation of food trade, global food security and climate change. Innovative strategies to meet the menace of mycotoxin contamination are required, and a greater understanding of the ecology of mycotoxigenic fungi and the molecular regulation of mycotoxin production may aide in the development of such strategies.


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