3 Review(s)

Levels of mycotoxin contamination in agricultural commodities are regulated in more than 100 countries, and exposure to these naturally occurring toxins presents serious risks to the health of humans and animals with negative impacts to commodity values. This symposium series book presents significant scientific developments in the multifaceted approach to reducing exposure to these naturally occurring toxins. A broad-spectrum of subject matter of themultidisciplinary field of mycotoxin research is conveniently compiled in this single volume, and general themes include prevention, control, exposure, molecular biology, biosynthesis, analytical methodology, and emerging techniques. The book opens with an overview of prevention of mycotoxin production by means ofbiological control and human exposure to contaminated foods, including tofu, apples, figs, and a broad range of fruits. The second section focuses on molecular biological approaches to control mycotoxin exposure. Topics covered include genomic approaches, detoxification, structure-activity studies of biosynthetic precursors, and mycotoxin biosynthesis. The success of these strategies is supported by the reduction of mycotoxin occurrence and incidence in foods. Accurate estimates of mycotoxin concentration in foods are important for food safety and wholesomeness. The final section covers analytical approaches, including sampling plans for foods and dietary supplements, extraction efficiency of mycotoxins from naturally contaminated grains, traditional detection methods such as chromatography/mass spectrometry, and emerging techniques such as the use of molecularly imprinted polymers for purification and isolation and cyclodextrins for fluorescent enhancement of several mycotoxins.