Management of Mycotoxins in Spices

Spices are very important for cuisines around the world as well as for health enhancement. The Egyptians, Chinese, and Indians have used spices in medicinal remedies and procedures starting in around 2000 BC. Through the centuries, spices have found use as food ingredients to modify the aroma and taste of the final products; however, some spices are suitable substrates for mold growth and mycotoxin development, which could be detrimental to human and animal health. This report covers regulatory control of mycotoxins in food and spices by means of monitoring and regulatory limits, sampling and analysis, management, and prevention of mycotoxins from plant growth (preharvest) through harvest and postharvest as well as decontamination for mycotoxins when necessary. There is no one single-best strategy that can solve mycotoxin contamination problems, but a well-designed and integrated plan of all these strategies could result in a substantial reduction of mycotoxins in spices to regulation safety levels.