Mycotoxins

There are many factors that should be considered when establishing regulations for mycotoxins in foods. Individuals in separate parts of the world have varying levels intake of foods with mycotoxins, which will likely result in different regulations. In addition, some foods have higher concentrations of mycotoxins than others, which will cause a mixed distribution of mycotoxins. Other factors that should be considered are the availability of consumption data and the hazard of mycotoxins to individuals in different populations. Of all the factors that should be involved in setting limits to mycotoxins in foods, some factors hold more importance: levels of intake of foods with mycotoxins, sampling methods, and the risk of consumption of mycotoxins to populations. The United States consumes different levels of foods with mycotoxins than other countries. Although a country may consume few foods with mycotoxins, the concentration of mycotoxins may be high and lethal to individuals who consume the foods. As stated in Regulations relating to mycotoxins in food, the regulatory limit for populations with high consumption of maize should be much lower than populations with low consumption of maize. Thus, the level of consumption of different foods should be highly considered because mycotoxins can accumulate over time and be lethal. Sampling methods are important because errors can result in lethal exposure of mycotoxins to individuals. Sampling involves using portions of lots to represent mycotoxin levels in the entire lot. There is a lot of uncertainty because the level of contamination in one peanut kernel can be high, but the number of contaminated peanut kernels in the lots may be very low. Different sampling techniques may have varying levels of possibilities for error, so it should be taken into account when setting limits for mycotoxins. Populations in separate areas of the world have different affects to mycotoxins. Some populations may be more sensitive to