Mycotoxins: occurrence, toxicology, and exposure assessment

Abstract

Mycotoxins are abiotic hazards produced by certain fungi that can grow on a variety of crops. Consequently, their prevalence in plant raw materials may be relatively high. The concentration of mycotoxins in finished products is usually lower than in raw materials. In this review, occurrence and toxicology of the main mycotoxins are summarised. Furthermore, methodological approaches for exposure assessment are described. Existing exposure assessments, both through contamination and consumption data and biomarkers of exposure, for the main mycotoxins are also discussed.

The authors are grateful to the Spanish government (projects AGL2010-22182-C04-04 and AGL2011-24862), the Catalonian Food Safety Agency of the ‘Generalitat de Catalunya’ Health Department, and the European Union (MYCORED KBBE-2007-2-5-05 project) for funding.