This up-to-date reference includes the most recent available data and detailed case studies concerning the potential health risks of aflatoxin in the human population. It covers everything from acute toxic effects of aflatoxin in men to original observations concerning occupational health hazards due to aflatoxin exposure via the respiratory tract.

Aflatoxins are a group of highly toxic and carcinogenic substances that occur naturally and can be found in food substances. Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites of certain strains of fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus as well as the less common Aspergillus nomius. Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 are the most important members, which can be categorized into two groups according to chemical structure. As a result of the adverse health effects of mycotoxins, their levels have been strictly regulated, especially in food and feed samples. Therefore, their accurate identification and determination remain a herculean task due to their presence in the complex food matrix. The great public concern and the strict legislation incited the development of sensitive analytical methods that are discussed in this book.

Aflatoxins are a naturally occurring carcinogenic byproduct of common fungi on grains and other crops, particularly maize and groundnuts. They pose a significant public health risk in many tropical developing countries and are also a barrier to the growth of domestic and international commercial markets for food and feed. In recent years the aflatoxin problem has garnered greatly increased attention from both policy and donor communities around the globe. What can be done to reduce the detrimental impacts of aflatoxins? Because growth of the molds that produce aflatoxins is caused by multiple factors, and because they must be controlled along the entire value chain from production to consumption, only a robust multifaceted approach to controlling aflatoxins is likely to be effective. The nineteen briefs in this set thus provide different perspectives on aflatoxin risks and solutions. The analyses fall under four broad themes: (1) what is known about the health risks from aflatoxins; (2) how to overcome market constraints to improved aflatoxin control by building new market channels and incentives; (3) what is the international policy context for taking action in developing countries; and (4) what is the state of research on new aflatoxin control technologies, including new methods for aflatoxin detection, crop breeding, biological control, food storage and handling, and postharvest mitigation. These briefs collectively provide a much clearer picture of the state of current efforts at combatting aflatoxins. They also identify what gaps loom particularly large—including the need for contry-specific risk analysis and for testing integrated solutions for the entire supply chain—in our global efforts to effectively reduce human exposure to aflatoxins and increase the economic returns to smallholders in agriculture.

Aflatoxins - Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is a book that has been thought to present the most significant advances in these disciplines focused on the knowledge of such toxins. All authors, who supported the excellent work showed in every chapter of this book, are placed at the frontier of knowledge on this subject, thus, this book will be obligated reference to issue upon its publication. Finally, this book has been published in an attempt to present a written forum for researchers and teachers interested in the subject, having a current picture in this field of research about these interesting and intriguing toxins.

Aflatoxins are a group of polyketide mycotoxins that are produced mainly by members of the genus Aspergillus. Production of these toxic secondary metabolites is closely related to fungal development (Keller et al., 2005; Jamali et al., 2012). Contamination of food, feed and agricultural commodities by aflatoxins poses enormous economic and serious health concerns because these chemicals are highly carcinogenic and can directly influence the structure of DNA. The resulting genetic defects can lead to fetal misdevelopment and miscarriages; aflatoxins are also known to suppress immune systems (Razzaghi-Abyaneh et al., 2013). In a global context, aflatoxin contamination is a constant concern between the 35N and 35S latitude where developing countries are mainly situated. With expanding boundaries of developing countries, aflatoxin contamination has become a persistent problem to those emerging areas (Shams-Ghahfarokhi et al., 2013). The continuing threat by aflatoxin contamination of food, feed and agricultural commodities to the world population has made aflatoxin research one of the most exciting and rapidly developing study areas of microbial toxins. The present research topic includes six review articles, three mini reviews and four original research articles. Contributors highlight current global health issues arising from aflatoxins and aflatoxigenic fungi and cover important aspects of aflatoxin research including contamination of crops, epidemiology, molecular biology and management strategies. Special attention is given to fungus-plant host interactions, biodiversity and biocontrol, sexual recombination in aflatoxigenic aspergilli, potential biomarkers for aflatoxin exposure in humans and safe storage programs.

Mycotoxins are the metabolites of fungus and are reported to contaminate nearly 25% of the food produced worldwide. The mycotoxins of most significance are the aflatoxins due to their severe health implications and their prevalence in food commodities on a larger scale. Aflatoxins are produced by certain species of fungi the most prominent among which are Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus and A. nominous. Food commodities of African and South Asian countries are especially reported to have aflatoxins well beyond the allowable limits but due to the global trade of food commodities developed countries are also prone towards the perils of aflatoxins. Moreover, climate changes may have a substantial impact on the distribution and global prevalence of aflatoxins in the near future. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified the aflatoxins as group 1 category carcinogen. Aflatoxins are also reported as teratogenic, mutagenic, growth retardant, immunosuppressant and may also cause nervous system and reproductive system disorders. Preventive approaches involving good manufacturing from “farm to fork” are the major focus of the current food industry. The aim of our book is to provide readers with the most recent data and up-to-date studies from aflatoxins research, with specific focuses on (i) the impact of aflatoxins on human health, (ii) new approaches by the researchers from different parts of the world to degrade aflatoxins and (iii) potential preventive approaches that can significantly lessen the burden of aflatoxins in food products

Aflatoxins, natural fungal toxins found in foods and animal feeds, have great public health significance. This book presents the basic and applied toxicology of aflatoxins, including analytical identification, agricultural and veterinary implications, toxicology and carcinogenesis in humans, and economic and regulatory problems associated with aflatoxin contamination and control. - Molecular mechanisms of aflatoxin toxicity - Analytical issues in sampling and analysis - Regulatory and economic issues associated with aflatoxin contamination of food and feed - Presentation of human and animal toxicology, veterinary, and agricultural issues related to aflatoxin contamination

Aflatoxins are responsible for damaging up to 25% of the world's food crops, resulting in large economic losses in developed countries and human and animal disease in under-developed ones. In addition to aflatoxins, the presence of other mycotoxins, particularly fumonisins, brings additional concerns about the safety of food and field supplies. The

This book is divided into three sections. The section called Aflatoxin Contamination discusses the importance that this subject has for a country like the case of China and mentions examples that illustrate the ubiquity of aflatoxins in various commodities The section Measurement and Analysis, describes the concept of measurement and analysis of aflatoxins from a historical prespective, the legal, and the state of the art in methodologies and techniques. Finally the section entitled Approaches for Prevention and Control of Aflatoxins on Crops and on Different Foods, describes actions to prevent and mitigate the genotoxic effect of one of the most conspicuous aflatoxins, AFB1. In turn, it points out interventions to reduce identified aflatoxin-induced illness at agricultural, dietary and strategies that can control aflatoxin. Besides the preventive management, several approaches have been employed, including physical, chemical biological treatments and solvent extraction to detoxify AF in contaminated feeds and feedstuffs.