EPL Bio Analytical Services

Excellence, Passion and Leadership in Agriculture

  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Our Story
    • Join Our Team
    • Contact Our Team
  • What We Do
    • Agricultural Chemistry
    • Nutritional Chemistry
    • Molecular Biology
    • Customized Analytical Support
    • Feed and Feed Ingredients
  • How We Do It
    • Technology Tour
    • Instrumentation
    • Quality Management Systems
    • Lab Services
    • Facility Monitoring & Backup
  • Who We Serve
    • Crop Protection Industry
    • Feed and Feed Ingredients
  • What’s New
    • Blog
    • News
    • Papers, Posters, Presentations
    • References
    • Organizations We Support
      • Industries We Support
      • Local and Regional Industries
      • Technical
  • Client Portal
  • Data Portal
  • Agricultural Chemistry
  • Nutritional Chemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Customized Analytical Support
  • Feed and Feed Ingredients
You are here: Home / Blog / Mycotoxins by Angela Hobgood

Mycotoxins by Angela Hobgood

April 1, 2014 by admin

IMG_6834Food safety, for humans and animals, is a legitimate concern in today’s society.  Be it in livestock feed, pet food or human staples, mycotoxins are a significant problem.  Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi that have adverse effects on humans, animals, and crops that result in illnesses and death. 

The term mycotoxin was coined in the early 1960’s after an unusual  veterinary crisis near London, England, during which approximately 100,000 turkeys died. When this mysterious disease was linked to a peanut meal contaminated with secondary metabolites from Aspergillus flavus (aflatoxins), it alerted scientists to the possibility that other mold metabolites might be deadly. Soon, the mycotoxin scope was extended to include over 400 compounds now recognized as fungal toxins.  Approximately a dozen metabolites of that group now gain attention as threats to human and animal health.  Aflatoxin, Citrinin, Deoxynivalenol, T-2 toxin, Ergot akaloids, Fumonisins, Ochratoxin A, Patulin, Trichothecenes, and Zearalenone are the most important analytes related to mycotoxicosis.

Mycotoxin-producing mold species are extremely common, and they can grow on a wide range of matrices under a broad scope of environmental conditions. For agricultural commodities, the severity of crop contamination tends to vary from year to year based on weather and other environmental factors. Aflatoxin, for example, is usually worst during drought years; the plants are weakened and become more susceptible to insect damage and other insults. Mycotoxins occur, with varying severity, in agricultural products all around the world. The estimate usually given is that one quarter of the world's crops are contaminated to some extent with mycotoxins.  Corn, hay, sorghum, peanuts, wheat, barley are some of the most common contaminated crops.  The economic consequences of mycotoxin contamination are profound. Crops with large amounts of mycotoxins often have to be destroyed. Alternatively, contaminated crops are sometimes diverted into animal feed. Giving contaminated feeds to susceptible animals can lead to reduced growth rates, illness, and death. 

Mycotoxins can enter the food chain in the field, during storage, or at later points. Mycotoxin problems are exacerbated whenever shipping, handling, and storage practices are conducive to mold growth. The end result is that mycotoxins are commonly found in foods. Some authorities rank mycotoxins as the most important chronic dietary risk factor, higher than synthetic contaminants, plant toxins, food additives, or pesticide residues.

In general, mycotoxin exposure is more likely to occur in parts of the world where poor methods of food handling and storage are common, where malnutrition is a problem, and where few regulations exist to protect exposed populations.  Methods for controlling mycotoxins are largely preventive. They include good agricultural practice and sufficient drying of crops after harvest. 

EPL Bio Analytical Services is committed to customers around the world to provide safe and reliable agricultural products to local and global consumers. We currently offer analysis for the following mycotoxins in various different matrices (maize grain, soy seed, canola seed, cottonseed/meal):  Alflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2, T-2 Toxin, HT-2 Toxin, Ochratoxin, Deoxynivalenol, 3-Acetyl Deoxynivalenol, 15-Acetyl-Dexoynivalenol, Zearalenone, Cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), Moniliformin, Oosporein, and Ergot Alkaloids.  Methods are currently being developed for Nivalenol, Diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), Neosolaniol, Fuseranon X and Citrinin.  With over 25 years of successful regulatory compliance with US EPA Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), EPL is an obvious choice for your mycotoxin analytical needs.

facebookShare on Facebook
TwitterTweet

Filed Under: Blog

Blog

30 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE AG INDUSTRY

June 29, 2017

What in the World is Guar? by Matt Patricio

April 6, 2017

Rapid and Sensitive Analysis of Soil, Water Feed and Food for Glyphosate and Glufosinate Residues

December 15, 2016

EPL BAS in the news again!

October 11, 2016

We are proud to be part of the Decatur Illinois community – home to the Midwest Inland Port. Watch this video to catch a glimpse of our lab in action!

July 21, 2016

See More Blog Posts

News

EPL Provides Support for Golden Rice Project

May 14, 2020

EPL BAS Wins Global Agrow Award for Best Supporting Role

November 22, 2017

EPL Bio Analytical Services Selects SCIEX QTRAP 6500+ LC-MS System with SelexION Differential Mobility Separation Technology Device

July 12, 2017

Dow and EPL BAS Sign License Agreement for New Technology

August 3, 2016

EPL BAS Named Finalist for Annual Agrow Award

July 18, 2016

See More News Posts

Areas of Expertise

  • Agricultural Chemistry
  • Nutritional Chemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Customized Analytical Support
  • Feed and Feed Ingredients

What Our Customers Say

"Thank you… We pretty much love you guys around here!"

Read More

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Services

  • Agricultural Chemistry
  • Nutritional Chemistry
  • Feed and Feed Ingredients
  • Contaminants
  • Molecular Biology
  • Customized Analytical Support
  • Method Development and Validation

Contact Us

EPL Bio Analytical Services
9095 West Harristown Blvd
Niantic, IL 62551-9752

Google Maps Street View

Toll Free: 1-866-963-2143

© EPL Bio Analytical Services • 9095 West Harristown Blvd, Niantic, IL 62551 • 1-866-963-2143
7ads6x98y