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Mycotoxins

About Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins are highly toxic secondary metabolic products of moulds mainly belonging to Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium and Alternaria species.
It has been estimated that at least 300 of these fungal metabolites are potentially toxic for humans and animals. However, the most notorious and extensively investigated compounds are aflatoxin B1 (AFB₁), zearalenone (ZON), deoxynivalenol (DON or “vomitoxin”), T-2 toxin, ochratoxin A (OTA) and fumonisin B1 (FB₁).

The global occurrence of mycotoxins is considered to be a major risk factor, as according to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) as much as 25% of the world’s crops are annually affected by known mycotoxins. These mycotoxins can enter the food chain through contaminated cereals, feeds and foods obtained from animals fed mycotoxin-contaminated feeds (e.g. milk, meat, eggs).
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Mycotoxins’ structural, chemical, biological and toxicological properties are diverse. Thus, their toxicity is extremely variable, depending on the intake level, duration of exposure, animal species, sex, age, breed, physiological status, nutritional standing, environmental conditions (including hygiene, temperature, air conditioning, humidity, production density) and eventual synergism between mycotoxins simultaneously present in feeds or foods. However, the main toxic effects are carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, teratogenicity, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, reproductive disorders and immunosuppression.

Several studies evidenced that economic losses occur at all levels of food and feed production, including crop and animal production, processing and distribution. Even during favourable climatic periods, millions of dollars are lost as a consequence of crop contamination.

However, there are no easy answers to the mycotoxin dilemma, as

these compounds often occur in very low concentrations that may be difficult to detect.
analysis may not give a true assessment of the situation, because the methodology is not sufficiently developed or unidentified mycotoxins may be present...
clinical symptoms are often not obvious or unique. Typical observations, such as lethargy, decreased feed intake, poor performance or increased susceptibility to infection could also be caused by a number of other health or management factors.
there is no typical dose-response with mycotoxins.
interactions between individual mycotoxins are not well characterized. Since contaminated feed usually contains a number of different mycotoxins, some of which might not yet be identified or well known, the interpretation of what is happening becomes increasingly difficult.