Year: 2013
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: Nowadays, about 100,000 fungi have already been identified. From these, more than 400 may be considered potentially toxigenic, and about 5% are known to produce toxic com‐ pounds or classes of compounds that cause adverse effects in animals and humans in sever‐ al parts of the world [1]. These compounds, called mycotoxins, are secondary metabolites of low molecular weight produced by mycelia or spores of filamentous fungi [2]. It is suggest‐ ed that mycotoxin production is generally limited to a relatively small number of mold spe‐ cies, and that toxin may be produced by the whole species or just one specific strain [3]. The more complex the synthesis pathway of a mycotoxin, the lesser the number of mold species that produce it.
Source: InTech eBooks
DOI: 10.5772/51120
Institutions: Universidade de São Paulo, Valagro (India)
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W1543433891