Determining Safe Levels of Mycotoxins.

Area of Science:

• Toxicology
• Food Safety
• Risk Assessment

Background:

• Current mycotoxin safety levels are largely legally defined, not scientifically derived.
• Economic and political factors have influenced established mycotoxin tolerance levels.
• The scientific database for determining safe mycotoxin levels is insufficient, leading to subjective evaluations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically evaluate the scientific basis for establishing safe mycotoxin levels.
• To identify improved methodologies for determining mycotoxin safety thresholds.
• To assess the risks associated with current mycotoxin exposure levels.

Main Methods:

• Utilized physiological parameters beyond growth for safety assessment.
• Incorporated known mycotoxin interactions with other factors.
• Applied statistical corrections for small sample sizes in animal testing.
• Advocated for combined epidemiological and laboratory studies.

Main Results:

• Improved agreement between laboratory and field data for safe levels was achieved using enhanced criteria.
• Laboratory determination of truly safe mycotoxin levels remains impractical due to the large number of animals required.
• Epidemiological studies combined with mechanistic laboratory research offer the most promising approach.

Conclusions:

• Current mycotoxin safety levels lack a robust scientific foundation.
• A more rigorous scientific approach, including epidemiological data, is needed to establish reliable safe levels.
• In the absence of definitive data, it is prudent to assume no level of mycotoxin is completely safe, with risk increasing proportionally to exposure.