MOLDS-MYCOTOXINS-FOOD CONTAMINATION - HUM AN HEALTH-ASPECTS

Survey for the continuing education The authors follow up the passage of mycotoxins across the food chain and analyze the causes of losses d ue to mould infections in plant production and to mycotoxicoses in ani mal production, with special regard to the role of ochratoxins, zearal enone and trichothecenes, which enter into the placenta and therefore damage not only the maternal organism, but also the foetus(es). Preval ence of ochratoxin was demonstrated in 43 per cent of pathologically a ltered porcine kidneys, 52 per cent of human blood samples collected f rom hospitalized patients and 38 per cent of human colostrum samples. Zearalenone or its metabolites (zearalenole-alpha or -beta) were found in 28 per cent of randomly collected samples of human colostrum. The trichothecene (F-2 or/and DON) contamination of wheat samples increase d not infrequently over the risk level. In view of these observations the authors advocate the legal regulation of maximum permissible level s of the fungal toxins in question.