Miller Magazine Issue: 113 May 2019

69 ARTICLE MAY 2019 MYCOTOXIN CONTAMINATION IN THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN Mycotoxins are poisonous compoun- ds produced by certain species of fun- gi growing on grain and feed products when stored in unsafe moisture content conditions. Mycotoxins cause, at very low dosages (parts per million (ppm) or parts per billion (ppb)), a variety of human and animal health problems. The ingestion of mycotoxins can produce both short-term and chronic toxicities ranging from death to chronic interferences of the central nervous, cardiovascular, pulmonary systems, and of the alimentary tract [1]. The mycotoxins have attracted worldwide attention, over the past 30 years, firstly because of their percei- ved impact on human health, secondly because of the economic losses accruing from condemned foods/feeds and decreased animal productivity and, thirdly, becau- se of the serious impact of mycotoxin contamination on internationally traded commodities. It is estimated, for example, that the cost of managing the mycotoxin prob- lem on the North American continent is approximately $5 billion [2]. MOLD DEVELOPMENT AND MYCOTOXIN PRODUCTION ON POST-HARVEST GRAIN STORAGE The major factors that determine whether grain in sto- rage would be invaded sufficiently by fungi are: • grain moisture content • grain temperature • storage time period • amount of broken grains and foreign materials present Table 1: Molds and mycotoxins of world-wide importance [4]