The WHO consider mycotoxins to be one of the highest risk contaminants in food and animal feeds. Mycotoxins are naturally produced by certain moulds and fungi which can grow on a wide range of foodstuffs including:
The mould can grow either before or after harvest and exposure can be via eating contaminated foods, or through secondary exposure such as consuming milk from an animal which has been fed contaminated feed.
Aflatoxins are one of the most poisonous mycotoxins and can commonly infect cereals, oilseeds, spices and tree nuts as well as dairy products (as alflatoxin M1). Alflatoxins are genotoxic and have been shown to cause liver cancer in humans.
Mycotoxin analysis is required globally to ensure food is safe for sale, import, or export. ALS can offer testing services for all major mycotoxins by a variety of techniques including broad screening methods by LC-MS/MS Toxins analysed incude: