This new area on HGCA's website provides easy access to levy-funded reference material and tools to help growers and store keepers minimise risk of mycotoxin formation in the field and store. The site will be updated as new tools and publications become available.
Mycotoxins are toxic chemicals produced by specific fungi which infect crops. Different fungal species produce mycotoxins of widely varying toxicity to humans and animals; hence there are different permitted levels in foodstuffs and feed. Grain is susceptible to mycotoxins produced either whilst the crop is growing by Fusarium species or during storage by Penicillium species.
In the field, infection of ears by Fusarium species can result in mycotoxin development when the weather is warm and wet at flowering. Fusarium mycotoxin occurrence may be greater when wet weather delays harvest. Crops infected at flowering may have individual bleached spikelets, or partially bleached ears, resulting at harvest in pink or chalky-white shrivelled grains. However, there is little correlation between fusarium damaged grains and mycotoxin occurrence.
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Guidelines to minimise risk of fusarium mycotoxins in cereals |
In the store, ochratoxin A (OTA) may be produced by the storage mould Penicillium verrucosum if grain exceeds 18% moisture content. The greatest risk occurs during harvest backlogs and during ambient air drying when grain may take weeks to dry. OTA incidence can be unpredictable. In the UK only some strains of Penicillium verrucosum produce OTA. Even when present, those strains do not always produce toxins.
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Link
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Drying section of HGCA Grain Storage Page |
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TS78
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Drying and cooling grain |
Food Standards Agency
www.food.gov.uk
The UK Code of Good Agricultural Practice to Reduce Fusarium Mycotoxins in Cereals (2007) FSA
www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fusariumcop.pdf
The UK Code of Good Storage Practice to Reduce Ochratoxin A in Cereals (2007) FSA
www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/ochratoxinacop.pdf
European Commission Regulations
http://eur-lex.europa.eu
KnowMycotoxins Website
This website aims to improve understanding of mycotoxins from the perspective of the feed industry. A link is provided here as the website may contain additional helpful information but HGCA has not contributed to development of this website and the presence of this link does not imply HGCA endorsement.
http://www.knowmycotoxins.com | 
