Mycotoxins Survey in Belgium and Toxigenic Fusarium in Belgian Wheat

Mycotoxins are naturally occurring secondary metabolites produced by fungi, which develop on agricultural crops. While fungi are destroyed during processing, mycotoxins mostly remain in the final product (Creppy, 2002). Such mycotoxincontaminated commodities are implicated in toxic effects in animals and humans (Riley, 1998). The nature and extent of the health problems depend on the amount and the spectrum of mycotoxins contaminating the product. One toxigenic fungus may be capable of producing different mycotoxins, while a specific toxin can be produced by more than one fungal species.