Biological Techniques of Mycotoxin Detection in Food and Feeds

This report describes biological techniques used to detect mycotoxins produced by toxin-forming fungi that contaminate food and animal feed and cause pathological effects in humans, animals, plants and microorganisms. It outlines the environmental presence of numerous fungal species and explains how their metabolites can lead to disease when contaminated substrates are consumed. The document presents investigative approaches for identifying these toxins, including sampling, fungal isolation, extraction of toxic substances and evaluation of their biological action. A range of experimental bioassays is detailed using animals, birds, fish, embryos, microorganisms and cell cultures to assess toxicity, determine physiological effects and establish allowable concentrations of mycotoxins in food and feed samples.