Mycotoxins hazard: the European view

Abstract

Food and feed are likely to be contaminated by mycotoxins, toxic secondary metabolites produced by molds mainly from Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium genera. To characterize the hazard of these contaminants, published data on their toxicokinetics and toxicity are scrutinized to determine the human health-based guidance values and to identify reference points (RPs) for animal category and species. This review describes how these values are constructed and summarizes the human tolerable daily intake (TDI) for the Fusarium toxins, deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, T-2 and HT-2 toxins, zearalenone, and fumonisins but also for ochratoxin A, and ergot alkaloids. For carcinogenic mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, it is not possible to establish TDI, and the risk for human health is determined by the margin of exposure between the benchmark dose’s lower confidence limit and the exposure. This review also details, when they could be determined, the RPs for the same mycotoxins for ruminants (dairy cow, heifer, beef cattle, steer, sheep, goats), poultry (chicken, duck, turkey), porcine, solipeds, fish, rabbits, cats, and dogs.

It also addresses the difficulties and challenges involved in establishing TDIs and/or RPs with regard to (i) the lack of data (e.g. on emerging mycotoxins) and their quality, (ii) the availability of species- or sex-specific data, (iii) the consideration of clinical cases or a new, more sensitive endpoints, and (iv) the establishment of grouped TDIs/RPs and the consideration of possible interactions between mycotoxins.