Mycotoxins are toxic compounds that are naturally produced by certain types of moulds. Moulds that can produce mycotoxins grow on numerous foodstuffs such as cereals, dried fruits, nuts, and spices. Mould growth can occur either before harvest or after harvest, during storage, on/in the food itself often under warm, damp, and humid conditions. Most mycotoxins are chemically stable and survive food processing.

The effects of some food-borne mycotoxins are acute with symptoms of severe illness appearing quickly after consumption of food products contaminated with mycotoxins. Other mycotoxins occurring in food have been linked to long-term effects on health, including the induction of cancers and immune deficiency.

How SIG can help

SIG Laboratory can perform mycotoxins analysis on a wide variety of matrices, such as nuts, spices, cereals, milk, infant products, animal feed, and  so on. So we can ascertain whether the mycotoxins contaminations in your product are still  at the appropriate levels, as specified by national and international regulations. It makes your product meet food safety quality standards.

The types of mycotoxins that can be tested in the SIG laboratory are:

• Patulin
• Aflatoxin B1
• Aflatoxin B2
• Aflatoxin G1
• Aflatoxin G2
• Aflatoxin M1
• Fumonisins
• Ochratoxin A
• Zearalenone
• Nivalenol / Deoxynivalenol

Method of Analysis

HPLC is the most likely technique to be used in mycotoxins analysis with many detectors such as UV-Vis, MS, and MSMS.