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Natural sciences
- Other chemical sciences
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Medical and health sciences
- Nutrition and dietetics
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Agricultural and food sciences
- Agricultural animal production
- Food sciences and (bio)technology
Mycotoxin contaminations occur world-wide and represent one of the most challenging and prominent food safety threats. In terms of exposure and severity of chronic disease, especially cancer, mycotoxins appear at present to pose a higher risk than anthropogenic contaminants and pesticides. They seriously affect the agricultural economies of many countries, interfere or even prevent trade, reduce animal and animal product production and affect human health. Between 25% and 50% of all commodities, especially staple crops, are contaminated with mycotoxins. In developing countries, monitoring and enforcement (according to EU or US legislation) only occurs occasionally when commodities such as groundnuts and coffee are destined for export while it is mostly ignored for local goods. Agricultural commodities of inferior quality are kept for local use resulting in adverse and even fatal health effects. Fortunately, the awareness on the mycotoxin problem is growing in several developing countries. This training session aims teaching the trainees moest important analytical methodologies for mycotoxin analysis in food and feed. This will be done by practical exercises at the Laboratory of Food Analysis, Ghent University. Moreover, the awareness on the mycotoxin problem in developing countries will be further enhanced by providing the trainees with theoretical lessons given by different experts on the several aspects of the mycotoxin issue.