The below mentioned article provides notes on alfatoxins. Mycotoxins are the toxic substances produced by fungi on food materials. These are 'secondary metabolites'. Some of these cause very severe effects on animal, plant and microbial systems. These include aflatoxins (Fig. 21.6) ochratoxins, sterigmatocystin, citrinin (Fig. 21.7) patulin, rubratoxin, zearalenone and trichothecens and are produced by the different species of Aspergillus, [...]
The following points highlight relation of various genera of fungi with mycotoxins. The genera are: 1. Mycotoxins of Aspergillus 2. Mycotoxins of Penicillium 3. Mycotoxins of Fusarium. Genera # 1. Mycotoxins of Aspergillus: The Aflatoxins. In 1959 a very singular event occurred which initiated the international interest which now exists in mycotoxins. This was the deaths of several thousand turkey [...]
In this article we will discuss about the classification of mycotoxins:- A. Food Toxins B. Ergot Toxins C. Mushroom Toxins. A. Food Toxins: These toxins are mainly responsible for poisoning of foods. The mycotoxin production occurs in many plant products, especially cereals and oilseeds. Others like peanuts, rice, corn and cotton seeds also get contaminated and store mycotoxins. The mycotoxins [...]