Saturday, 14 February 2015
Mycotoxins are natural chemicals produced as secondary metabolites by certain fungi which occur as contaminants of some food crops, either in the field or during post-harvest storage.
Mycotoxins are natural chemical substances with toxic effects on humans that are produced by fungi (moulds) growing as contaminants on some food crops (in field and in storage), including certain cereals, nuts and fruit.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in collaboration with Public Analyst Laboratory in Dublin and the Irish Grain and Feed Association (IGFA), carried out checks on the levels of the above mentioned mycotoxins in a variety of cereal products (oats, barley, wheat and maize) grown in Ireland in 2012.
The results of these checks show that the levels found in the Irish-produced cereals which were sampled are generally low, with occasional instances of contamination detected, although these are considered to present little risk to the health of the Irish consumer.
