Mycotoxins are naturally produced forms of defence for organisms, produced by moulds and fungi. All materials, particularly natural, and many man-made, are contaminated by moulds and fungi. These fungal spores are found everywhere, and are unavoidable within the natural world, without exception, meaning that they are ubiquitous. Mould and fungi growth is greatly encouraged by the presence of heat and moisture, but toxin production is also dictated by other factors that induce stress, including drought.
All moulds and fungi naturally produce these toxins. Contamination of natural materials from one or more fungi by multiple toxins is commonplace, and there are hundreds of different mycotoxins. By applying the correct management practices, fungal growth and toxin production can be limited, although it is nearly impossible to guarantee that naturally occurring materials will be free of contamination by mycotoxins.
Published by the Food Standards Agency, sampling advice exists for enforcement authorities and food business operators regarding legislation on mycotoxins in foodstuffs, together with the official sampling methods for certain foods. However, the guidance is not a substitute for the EU and domestic legislation to which it refers, nor is it a statutory code. The legislation should be referred to alongside the guidance.
To carry out analysis of food samples for mycotoxins, food business operators in the UK are advised to use a laboratory accredited for mycotoxin analysis. An Official Control Laboratory (OCL) should be used to analyse official control samples. The responsibility lies with individual businesses to decide how to satisfy themselves, before placing products on the market, that their food is compliant with legislation and safe to eat.
Regular testing of food products is an effective way for food business operators to ensure their products do not contain mycotoxins above the maximum prescribed levels. A representative sample can be taken, from a given batch or lot, and then be sent to a UKAS accredited laboratory for analysis.
When testing, the analysis should target mycotoxins most likely to be found in the particular food under scrutiny, and/or for which there are maximum defined levels. A good example of this is spices, for which aflatoxins and ochratoxin A would be tested.
The way in which the commodity is sampled, together with the actual analysis, are both important when determining mycotoxin levels in a food. The reason for this is that mycotoxins are normally distributed unevenly in foodstuffs, instead occurring in particular 'hotspots.'
It is usually more practical in the case of small businesses that manufacture finished food products, for example, to test raw commodities prior to using them as ingredients in foodstuffs.
All moulds and fungi naturally produce these toxins. Contamination of natural materials from one or more fungi by multiple toxins is commonplace, and there are hundreds of different mycotoxins. By applying the correct management practices, fungal growth and toxin production can be limited, although it is nearly impossible to guarantee that naturally occurring materials will be free of contamination by mycotoxins.
Published by the Food Standards Agency, sampling advice exists for enforcement authorities and food business operators regarding legislation on mycotoxins in foodstuffs, together with the official sampling methods for certain foods. However, the guidance is not a substitute for the EU and domestic legislation to which it refers, nor is it a statutory code. The legislation should be referred to alongside the guidance.
To carry out analysis of food samples for mycotoxins, food business operators in the UK are advised to use a laboratory accredited for mycotoxin analysis. An Official Control Laboratory (OCL) should be used to analyse official control samples. The responsibility lies with individual businesses to decide how to satisfy themselves, before placing products on the market, that their food is compliant with legislation and safe to eat.
Regular testing of food products is an effective way for food business operators to ensure their products do not contain mycotoxins above the maximum prescribed levels. A representative sample can be taken, from a given batch or lot, and then be sent to a UKAS accredited laboratory for analysis.
When testing, the analysis should target mycotoxins most likely to be found in the particular food under scrutiny, and/or for which there are maximum defined levels. A good example of this is spices, for which aflatoxins and ochratoxin A would be tested.
The way in which the commodity is sampled, together with the actual analysis, are both important when determining mycotoxin levels in a food. The reason for this is that mycotoxins are normally distributed unevenly in foodstuffs, instead occurring in particular 'hotspots.'
It is usually more practical in the case of small businesses that manufacture finished food products, for example, to test raw commodities prior to using them as ingredients in foodstuffs.
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