Part of this testing involves taking and preparing samples. If this is not done correctly, the test results become meaningless. A team of European scientists put their heads together to develop sampling procedures that would be accepted by both suppliers and customers. W hen food poisoning hits the headlines, we usually hear about bacteria such as salmonella or E coli. However, fungal growth can also put our food and livestock feed at risk.
Some moulds produce toxic compounds called mycotoxins.
They attract worldwide attention because of the significant economic losses associated with their impact on human health, animal productivity and both domestic and international trade. One member of this chemical family is aflatoxin B1. It is acutely toxic to humans and animals and has been classified as a human carcinogen. As well as affecting productivity, mycotoxins can also migrate into animal products and enter the human food chain. The most dangerous example of this is aflatoxin B1 in dairy feed being converted by the cow into a related toxin and ending up in milk and dairy products.