Recent developments in mycotoxin analysis

Mycotoxins are natural contaminants of several agricultural products and derivatives produced as secondary metabolites by several filamentous fungal species. Their presence in food and feed can cause serious risks to human and animal health due to adverse toxic effects; therefore maximum permitted levels have been fixed for the major occurring mycotoxins in several commodities at European and international level. The mycotoxins of major concern are: the aflatoxins (aflatoxin B1 is the most potent naturally occurring carcinogen known), the trichothecenes (a structurally related family of cytotoxic compounds) including deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 and HT-2 toxins, the zearalenone (a potent estrogenic mycotoxin), the fumonisins (predominantly fumonisin B1, a possible carcinogen to humans) and the ochratoxins (predominantly ochratoxin A, a potent nephrotoxin). Sensitive, reliable and accurate methods of analysis are hence required to gather adequate information on the levels of exposure to these mycotoxins and to fulfill regulatory requirements.