Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by a variety
of fungal species that contaminate various agricultural commodities
either before harvest or under post-harvest conditions.
They are a worldwide problem because they may affect human
and animal health and cause huge economic losses associated to
contaminated foods, feeds and loss of animal productivity. The
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations
has estimated that 25% of the world’s food crops are contaminated
by mycotoxins every year