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A professor at the Faculty of Medicine of King Khalid University (KKU), Dr. Iman Mohammed Al Nashar, has revealed that one of the most important sources of risk to human health is the mycotoxins, which is metabolic secondary toxic substance that results from the growth of fungus on some types of food. Human beings who eat this contaminated food fall into serious illnesses, such as cancer and tumors, and general weakness.

The professor said: “There are more than 500 species of mycotoxins, they have been identified so far, most notably: Alavlaoudin- Alakraoudin - patulin - Zaralennon and Altrajkotheissin”.

It is noted that mycotoxins can be toxic when it is consumed by human or animal, and accumulated in certain foods such as corn, wheat, barley, rice, soybeans, sorghum, peanuts, and other field crops, and also on food in the field and during transport and storage.

Prof. Al Nashar explained that mycotoxins were usually made up in warehouses under the right conditions to grow fungi that produces it. She added: “The mycotoxin poisoning Mycotoxicosis is pathological cases in animals and humans, and is caused by the consumption of mycotoxins”.

It also revealed that mycotoxins are divided into 'mycotoxins' according to its impact on the mammals’ areas to (liver poisons - kidney poisons - neurotoxins - muscle poisons - the heart toxins - skin toxins - genital toxins - and intestinal toxins).

The Professor said: "There is no doubt that the increase in the concentration of the mycotoxins poison in the food increases the damage caused in the organism, and mycotoxins is capable of causing acute and chronic diseases in humans and animals, ranging from death and disorder of the central nervous system,  affecting the heart  and vascular pulmonary and intestinal”. She further clarified that the greatest source of concern was the importance of those toxins in cancers, and the increase of the susceptibility to disease especially in children, and then the increase of their mortality rate.

The Professor noted that aflatoxin is the most dangerous of the toxins list, which are produced from the growth of fungi on food ingredients, such as corn, wheat, and excreted, by a fungus called Aasebragels flavus, which is highly toxic, and which causes serious health problems for humans and animals, as well as peanuts, which is the oiliest substance, which is infected by fungus Aasebragels flavus.

The information published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, with no doubt confirm the positive relationship between the digestion of aflatoxin, and the cases of liver cancer in humans, as well as the role of aflatoxin in the infection of lung, stomach and bowel cancer.

About the prevention of mycotoxins, Prof. Al Nashar explained that those toxins were often invisible and tasteless and chemically stable at high temperatures, and during long storage periods.

There are many factors that lead to increase in the production of mycotoxins in food, such as bad storage, where the food is stored in degrees of temperatures, high humidity, and high water content, which leads to the launch of several mycotoxins in food. This indicates that bad storage of cereals and dry fruits help the growth of microbes and bacteria, specially the fungus that is working on the secretion of digestive enzymes, which hydrolyzes protein and fatty of seed.

Prof. Al Nashar added: “the post - harvest stage, such as drying and storage is considered one of the most important stages of production, where food become subjected to produce mycotoxins. If storage conditions are not strictly controlled, it usually leads to fungi Alasprgels, Fayyozaram, and Abannaceleom, and what is produced from Mycotoxins to pollute foods during storage and delivery when conditions are suitable, and the sorting of damaged, and the clear infected grain, such as pigments odd-sized and forms. She stressed further that, "this step may decrease the level of aflatoxin to 40 - 80%, and that by the prevention of the biological activity to maintain quality in storage by drying to less than 10% moisture”.