Mycotoxins in the human food chain.

摘要: The impact of mycotoxins in the human foodchain is an important issue worldwide. Ingeneral, consumers perceive less risk frommycotoxins than from other food-related threatssuch as pesticides, additives, heavy metals andmicrobial agents. This due to fact that, atleast developed countries, veryrarely cause acute intoxication outbreaks orhealth emergencies, which oftenamplified by media. Nevertheless, realdanger potentially very high,which why they have been called 'hiddenkillers'. Mycotoxins are highly undesirablesubstances that should not be present foodand for a zero tolerance would ideal.However, even good agricultural, storage andprocessing practices cannot completely preventcontamination; and it impossible achievea truly mycotoxin-free food chain.Consequently, small quantities mycotoxinsbelieved dangerous legallytolerated. Despite incomplete toxicological,epidemiological exposure data needed tofully assess health risks,and establish causal relationships betweenmycotoxins foods disease,responsible management makes itnecessary take action (Kuiper-Goodman,1995). For these reasons order achieverealistic goals mycotoxin management,public authorities many countries fixedlegal limits presence foods.Worldwide legal recentlyreviewed van der Westhuizen