human foods and animal feeds through fungal growth prior to and during harvest, or during
(improper) storage (Bhatnagar et al., 2004).
The term mycotoxin was adopted in 1962 in the aftermath of an unusual veterinary
crisis near London, England, during which approximately 100,000 turkey poults died. This
mysterious turkey X disease was linked to a peanut meal contaminated with secondary
metabolites from Aspergillus flavus (aflatoxins) (Bennet and Klich, 2003).