What is the significance of mycotoxins (mould toxins) in food?
Fact sheet on mycotoxins (mould toxins) in food
What are mycotoxins and how do they get into food?
Mycotoxins (mould toxins) are secondary metabolites produced by certain moulds (e.g. Aspergillus, Penicillium species). Because of their toxicological properties, mycotoxins are undesirable in food.
Mycotoxins occur, among others, in cereals, nuts, dried fruits, tree nuts, spices, coffee and cocoa. They can be produced already in the field or later during transport and storage and thus enter food.
What legal regulations apply?
Regulation (EU) 2023/915 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food (Contaminants Maximum Levels Regulation) sets maximum levels for certain mycotoxins.
Recommendation (EU) 2022/553 on the monitoring of the occurrence of Alternaria toxins in food contains indicative values, e.g. for processed tomato products, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and sunflower oil, tree nuts and dried figs.
Important representatives of mycotoxins include aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2, M1), ochratoxin A, patulin, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisins, citrinin, ergot alkaloids, T-2 and HT-2 toxins, and Alternaria toxins.
Analytical methods:
Mycotoxins are determined by LC-MS/MS; aflatoxin M1 is determined by ELISA.
Sources:
BfR (Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) available at: