Prevention, control and detection of Fusarial toxins

The past couple of decades have provided considerable details on fungi and the toxins that they produce, as well on the mechanism of toxin action, toxicity and effects on animal and human health. But, since they are natural contaminants, their presence is often inevitable. Fusaria are widespread in all cereal-growing territories of the world, but they are especially common in our geographic area. Therefore, special attention is paid to the prevention and control, and also to the improvement of methods for their detection. Although all collected data were critical for understanding this worldwide problem, managing the impact of these toxins on the feed and food safety is still great practical challenge. There are a number of approaches that can be taken to minimize mycotoxin contamination in this chain: prevention of fungal growth and thus mycotoxin formation, strategies to reduce or eliminate mycotoxins from contaminated feedstuffs or diverting the contaminated products to low risk uses. A control program for mycotoxins from field to table should in­volve the criteria of an HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) approach. It requires an understanding of the important aspects of the interactions of the toxigenic fungi with crop plants, the on-farm production and harvest methods for crops, the production of livestock using grains and processed feeds, including diagnostic capabilities for mycotoxicoses, and all the way to the development of processed foods for human consumption, as well as understanding the marketing and trade channels including storage and delivery of foods to the consumer’s table. A good testing protocol for mycotoxins is necessary to manage all of the control points and in order to be able to ensure a food supply free of toxic levels of mycotoxins for the consumer. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 46009]