Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXIX, Issue 1
Written by Ioana POROȘNICU, Luminița-Iuliana AILINCĂI, Mihai MAREȘ
Mycotoxins are secondary toxic metabolites produced by filamentous fungi, which are predominantly found in agricultural products worldwide. Mycotoxins appear in the food chain due to fungal contamination of crops both before and after harvest. Exposure to mycotoxins can occur by consuming contaminated food (a direct factor) or by consuming feed contaminated by animals, through milk (an indirect factor). Fungal proliferation and mycotoxin production have a higher input due to environmental factors. Chemically, most mycotoxins are stable and thus survive food processing. Among the most important mycotoxins are aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, zearalenone and trichothecenes. The species that synthesize these mycotoxins belong to the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium and, unfortunately, they can trigger mutagenic, nephrotoxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic, cytotoxic, neurotoxic and estrogenic effects. This paper provides an overview of the world of mycotoxins, from emergence to adverse effect on contamination of agricultural products, which is of major importance as it affects food and feed safety, food security and trade.
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