engleski

Cereals and cereal by-product`s safety – a hidden mycotoxin threat

Cereals and cereal by-products are a worldwide topic of interest for the food and feed industry, considering its nutritional value and health- promoting components. On the other hand, a well documented co-contamination of mycotoxins in various cereal-based food and feed products represent a health concern due to their adverse toxicological effects, potentially additive or synergistic, while also negatively affecting economy and international trade. Mycotoxin occurrence and concentration still cannot be clearly predicted, since dependent on not just geographical area but seasonal and local weather conditions during critical plant growing stages, heavily under the impact of climate change effects. Moreover, cereals processing steps may affect mycotoxin distribution and concentrate mycotoxins into fractions that are commonly used as animal feed, causing mycotoxin transfer along the food production chain. This carry-over effect may bring the unexpected health risk from consuming various foods of animal origin, such as milk and dairy products or traditional dry-cured meat products. Additionally, the formation of mycotoxin modified forms, along with emerging mycotoxin presence, is another issue, posing an analytical challenge for proper determination of total mycotoxin contamination level. Initial contamination prevention strategies, but also continuous monitoring and proper analytical solutions, are of great importance for ensuring the safety of cereal by-products intended for further use.

food safety, cereal by-products, mycotoxin occurrence, food- and feed processing, modified mycotoxin forms

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