Aflatoxins – product contamination and preventive measures

In today’s ecologically compromised living conditions, the issue of microbial contamination of food by pathogenic microorganisms and their toxins throughout the entire food chain (from farm to fork) is gaining increasing global importance. This is primarily aimed at protecting the health of humans and animals, safeguarding the economy and trade, and ensuring strict compliance with legal regulations. Over the past decade, the greatest attention has been focused on examining the concentration of aflatoxins in food of both plant and animal origin. The permitted concentration of aflatoxins in food products ranges between 4–30 µg/kg. However, the European Union has established the strictest standard, with AFB1 and total aflatoxins not exceeding 2 µg/kg and 4 µg/kg, respectively, in many products intended for direct human consumption. Through the application of physical, chemical, and biological preventive measures, as well as practices related to cultivation, harvesting, and storage of animal feed and cereals, and measures applied during production, transport, and storage processes, food contamination by mycotoxins can be significantly reduced.