WHAT ARE MYCOTOXINS?

Mycotoxins are chemical substances produced by some fungi capable of contaminating food and feeds. Mycotoxins can adversely affect human health and animal health and performance.

WHERE ARE THEY FOUND?

Mycotoxins can be present in all kinds of cereal grains including corn, wheat, oats, barley, rice, rye, and sorghum. They can also be found in all kinds of nuts (peanuts and tree nuts) and in foods like milk, coffee, fruit juice and spices.

WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?

Mycotoxins are important because they can produce illnesses in humans and animals and because some of them can cause certain types of cancer (especially the aflatoxins).

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO TEST FOR MYCOTOXINS?

Mycotoxin levels are strictly regulated in most countries. Mycotoxins can affect the international trade of commodities like corn and soybeans. Trading of human foods containing mycotoxins levels above the maximum allowable levels might cause legal and economic sanctions.

The Codex Alimentarius, which is accepted by 169 countries in the world (including Colombia), establishes maximum allowable levels for mycotoxins to protect both consumers and international trade.

It is an ethical and social responsibility to guarantee food safety especially when dealing with substances that can be potentially carcinogenic for humans and animals.

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SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS ABOUT MYCOTOXINS IN COLOMBIA

The following publications are in portable document file (pdf) format. If you do not have Acrobat reader installed in you computer click the Adobe icon below to access the website:

Aflatoxins
	Ocurrencia natural de aflatoxinas sorgos híbridos cultivados en la microrregión del Alto Magdalena, Colombia. Revista CORPOICA, 2(1):22-26, 1997. 495Kb
	Analysis of aflatoxins in poultry and pig feeds and feedstuffs used in Colombia. Journal of the AOAC International, 80(6):1215-1219, 1997. 359Kb
	Occurrence of aflatoxins in selected Colombian foods. Mycotoxin Research, 17(1):15-19, 2001. 264Kb
	First Colombian interlaboratory study for the determination of aflatoxin B1 in yellow corn. Mycotoxin Research, 20(1):11-18, 2004. 571Kb

Ochratoxin A
	Method validation for the determination of the ochratoxin A in green and soluble coffee by immunoaffinity column cleanup and liquid chromatography. Mycotoxin Research, vol 20, 2004. 770Kb
	Determination of Ochratoxin A in Green Coffee by Immunoaffinity Column Cleanup and Liquid Chomatography: Collaborative Study. Journal of AOAC International, vol 88, (3) 773-779, 2005. 706Kb

Zearalenone
	Natural occurrence of zearalenone in feeds and feedstuffs used in poultry and pig nutrition in Colombia. Mycotoxin Research, 13(2):81-87, 1997. 392Kb

Fumonisins
	Incidence and levels of fumonisin contamination in Colombian corn and corn products. Mycotoxin Research, 14(2):74-82, 1998. 393Kb
	Prevalence of Fusarium species of the Liseola section on selected Colombian animal feedstuffs and their ability to produce fumonisins. Mycopathologia, 160: 63–66 , 2005. 187Kb

OTHER PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST ABOUT MYCOTOXINS
	Micotoxinas presentes en la soya y sus subproductos. Seminario-Taller Control de Calidad y Usos de la Soya Integral en Alimentación Animal. Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, CIAT, Cali, Colombia, 1995. 48Kb
	Micotoxinas y terrorismo avícola. Revista Avicultores, 38(4):30-32, 1997. 318Kb
	Ojo con la contaminación. Artículo de prensa sobre el brote de aflatoxinas ocurrido en Cereté, Cordoba, Colombia en Septiembre de 2001. Tierras y Ganados, El Tiempo, Enero 31 de 2003. 115Kb

NEED MORE INFORMATION?

Should you need more information about mycotoxins and their importance in human or animal health, please do not hesitate to contact our technical support department, write to info@micotox.com