|
Recent research has increased awareness of chemical residues and natural
contaminants in food. At the same time, consumer concerns about food safety have
also grown. At a national and international level this has resulted in more stringent
imposition of new, legislative limits for a range of mycotoxins which can
contaminate food raw materials and enter the food chain. Mycotoxins are
particularly important as they are very heat stable and difficult to destroy. Since
prevention is better than cure, the former approach is now being utilised to reduce/
eliminate the chances of mycotoxins entering the food and feed production chains.
To facilitate the prevention approach, a wide range of complementary scientific
information is required. This includes information on Risk Assessment of mycotoxins
to enable effective and realistic limits to be set. To implement an HACCP
approach, the pre-harvest, post-harvest, storage and processing
components all need to be understood and the CCPs identified. Aspects such as
sampling, monitoring systems and effective diagnostic technologies, including
traditional analytical and newer molecular and antibody-based quantification
systems; novel plant resistance breeding approaches; effective crop protection
systems and an understanding of the ecological role of different mycotoxigenic
fungi in the food chain are required. This book focuses on these aspects and
includes detailed examination of some of the mycotoxins found in food. We
believe that this is a timely volume which should contribute significantly to new
information relevant to this key research area of significant importance to the food
production and processing industries. |