BROWSE ALL ARTICLES BY TOPIC Study: Infant Foods Should be
Screened for Mycotoxins Found to cause malnutrition in Africa,
Asia An international team of scientists is calling for
protecting complementary food for infants in developing
countries, especially those where corn is a staple food, against
fumonisin, a toxin produced by fungi. Until now, physicians
thought the growth retardation of children in those regions was
to be blamed on the poor nutritional value of the complementary
maize porridge they receive when breast milk is no longer
sufficient. But toxins indeed are involved, the scientists
reported recently in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food
Research. The recommendation was made by scientists at the
Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp in Belgium, and their
colleagues at the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority and Gent
University, also in Belgium. Until now, not much attention was
paid to mycotoxins (toxins produced by fungi) in food, with the
exception of aflatoxin, which is known for causing