The use of plant extracts and their phytochemicals for control of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins present a great concern to food safety and security due to their adverse health and socio-economic impacts. The necessity to formulate novel strategies that can mitigate the economic and health effects associated with mycotoxin contamination of food and feed commodities without any impact on public health, quality and nutritional value of food and feed, economy and trade industry become imperative. Various strategies have been adopted to mitigate mycotoxin contamination but often fall short of the required efficacy.

Quantification of multi-mycotoxin in cereals (maize, maize porridge, sorghum and wheat) from Limpopo province of South Africa.

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites that are produced by filamentous mycotoxigenic fungi belonging to the and genera amongst others. Multi-class mycotoxins were extracted from 55 cereal samples and analysed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The adopted extraction method for maize, maize porridge, sorghum and wheat was comprehensively validated.