Naslov
Mycotoxins contamination of food and human health

Autori
Peraica, Maja ; Domijan, Ana-Marija

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, stručni

Izvornik
Book of Abstracts of Workshop on Contamination of Food and Agroproducts / Krauthacker, Blanka - Zagreb : Institut za medicinska istraživanja i medicinu rada, 2000, L-3.

Skup
Workshop on Contamination of Food and Agroproducts

Mjesto i datum
Varaždin, Hrvatska, 28.09.2000. - 01.10.2000

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Pozvano predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Nije recenziran

Ključne riječi
mycotoxins; food; human health

Sažetak
Mould and mycotoxin contamination of food is serious but often neglected . According to FAO, 25% of the world's crop is contaminated with moulds. Fungal invasion of agricultural commodities often occurs in the field (Fusarium spp., Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp.) with a considerable seasonal variation. The problem of mycotoxin contamination of food is present particularly in the countries with hot and humid climate which favours the growth of moulds. The export of food from these countries increased the awareness of serious effects that undesirable levels of mycotoxins may have on human health. Humans are mostly exposed to mycotoxins orally, that is, by ingestion of contaminated food, but other routes (respiratory and dermal) have also been described. The respiratory exposure is related to professional contact with large quantities of processed contaminated food (aflatoxins and ochratoxin A), while dermal exposure is limited to the liposoluble mycotoxins which can pass the dermal barrier (trichothecenes). Mycotoxins cause acute and chronic intoxication (mycotoxicosis) targeting various organs (liver, kidney, heart, nervous or immune system), as well as allergies and tumours. In experimental animals and in the experiments in vitro they may demonstrate genotoxic, mutagenic, cytotoxic, and teratogenic properties. There is no doubt about the importance of mycotoxins in human history. However, due to the implementation of agricultural measures, some mycotoxicoses such as ergotism, alimentary toxic aleukia, and citreoviridin-related mycotoxicoses have partially or completely been eradicated. Nowadays, mycotoxins considered to have the highest impact on human health are aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, trichothecenes, and fumonisins. In the last decades the outbreaks of acute mycotoxicoses were caused mostly by consumption of food contaminated with aflatoxins and trichothecenes in tropical countries, while acute human mycotoxicoses caused by ochratoxin A and fumonisins have not been reported. Although acute mycotoxicoses may involve a large number of persons with serious clinical course, scientists are more concerned about the continuous intake of small quantities of mycotoxins with possible adverse effect on human health. It has been shown that aflatoxins cause hepatic lesions, cirrhosis, and liver tumours. A long-lasting exposure to ochratoxin A is believed to cause endemic nephropathy and unusually frequent tumours of urothelial tissues in endemic regions. Fumonisins are supposed to cause oesophageal tumours in countries with the higher intake of fumonisin-contaminated food.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Javno zdravstvo i zdravstvena zaštita

POVEZANOST RADA