Mycotoxins in Nuts and Seeds

Abstract Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites with different chemical structures produced by filamentous fungi which contaminate agricultural products worldwide. Several mycotoxins can occur in nuts and seeds, but the aflatoxins, produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, and ochratoxin A (OTA) produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium species, are more frequently reported. Aflatoxins have been shown to cause mutagenic, teratogenic, and hepatocarcinogenic effects, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified naturally occurring mixtures of aflatoxins as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1). OTA has been shown to cause nephrotoxic, teratogenic, cytotoxic, and genotoxic effects and has been classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B). Considering the great impact on consumer health because of their toxicity and occurrence, this chapter provides an overview of the natural occurrence, effect of heat processing, and toxicological effects of aflatoxins and OTA in nuts and seeds.