Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites of moulds belonging essentially to the Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium genera. They can be produced on a wide range of agricultural commodities and under a diverse range of situations. Due to their various toxic effects and their good thermal stability, the presence of mycotoxins in foods and feeds is potentially hazardous to the health of both humans and animals. Mycotoxins may cause damage to e.g. liver, kidney or the nervous system, some are even carcinogenic. There is growing concern for ways in which these fungi and their mycotoxins can be prevented from entering the human and animal food chain. And worldwide changes in legislation ever increase the need for more precise and sensitive mycotoxin analytical methods.

"Meeting the mycotoxin menace" contains the peer-reviewed papers of the second World Mycotoxin Forum held 17-18 February 2003 in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The book focuses on the various aspects related to the presence, prevention, control, sampling and analysis of mycotoxins in agricultural commodities, foods and feeds. In this publication special attention is given to new developments in this field. The editors firmly believe that the very nature of the themes chosen and the excellence of the papers by invited experts from various disciplines will draw an audience from both the food and feed industry, regulatory authorities and science.