Mycotoxins day: these moulds that make the rot set in

Mycotoxins are produced by certain types of mould (Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium), and may develop on plants in the field or during storage. They cause serious public health problems for both humans and animals. Didier Montet, a CIRAD researcher, has no hesitation in talking in terms of the "main current global food safety issue". These microscopic fungi, which may be aflatoxin-type (the most carcinogenic) or ochratoxin-type, attack numerous products and manufactured goods: cereals (including baby food), cocoa beans, coffee, Brazil nuts, peanuts, fish, some fruits and even wine.

Limiting contamination

Standards have been set, and the EU is keeping a particularly close watch on the problem. The Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des aliments ( AFSSA) has just published a report on the risks associated with the presence of mycotoxins in the food chain. Products circulating in hot, humid regions are at particular risk, and it is very difficult to detoxify contaminated products. Researchers agree that the best method is to limit contamination upstream.

At CIRAD, the food safety team has developed a universal PCR tool capable of analysing all the moulds in a product in a single stage. "We are trying to work out how and why mycotoxins develop and interact", Didier Montet explains. Mycotoxin-producing mould strains have now been isolated (three strains on cocoa). Two people have just embarked upon theses at CIRAD on aflatoxin and ochratoxin development in Brazil nuts and coffee, and a general reference work on mycotoxins is also under way.