This volume on aflatoxins is both timely and authoritative. There is an impressive list of authors and the breadth of topics in this book is both appropriate and welcome. Aflatoxins, as toxic natural metabolites, present a serous health hazard which can be avoided in some countries by simply not eating foods that are contaminated. That approach is not a luxury available to everyone in the world. There is a need for the setting of limits of contamination and, then, detection and quantification of aflatoxins. The development of crops that might have resistance to colonization by aflatoxin-producing fungi, or development of agricultural practices that restrict aflatoxigenesis are also important topics. These are all very important topics that re well covered in this book.
David Archer and Heather Lee, University of Nottingham, in Microbiology Today, November 2005
Product Description
Aflatoxins are responsible for damaging up to 25% of the worlds food crops, resulting in large economic losses in developed countries and human and animal disease in under-developed ones. In addition to aflatoxins, the presence of other mycotoxins, particularly fumonisins, brings additional concerns about the safety of food and field supplies. There has not been a comprehensive, single source guide to synthesize the most up-to-date information on this issue until now.
Aflatoxin and Food Safety presents the latest information available in aflatoxin research and control. The editor a leading author, educator, and speaker on mycotoxin has synthesized chapters from internationally renowned experts into a single comprehensive resource. The text considers the worldwide impact of aflatoxins and describes recent advances in research on aflatoxin production, analysis, and toxicology. It also examines the strategies used in controlling aflatoxin production in crops, including the development of crop resistance to aflatoxin by such methods as conventional breeding and genetic engineering. In its final section, the book discusses the post-harvest management of aflatoxin in contaminated foods and feeds.
An ideal resourcefor those involved in a variety of biological, biomedical, and agricultural fields, Aflatoxin and Food Safety aggregates the aflatoxin research completed by the worlds finest scientists over the last 15 years in a thorough and accessible format.
