ABSTRACT
The growth of fungi on various postharvest products and crude drugs not only deteriorates their quality but also adds toxins. The fungi that are known to produce toxic chemicals are found in almost all major taxonomic groups. Toxic chemicals produced by fungi are collectively referred to as mycotoxins and the diseases associated with the ingestion of mycotoxin contaminated food/feed stuffs are referred to as mycotoxicosis. Mycotoxins represent a group of unrelated chemical compounds produced as secondary metabolites by certain toxigenic isolates of fungi. The multiplicity of mycotoxin structures also induces miscellaneous toxic effects. The mycotoxins produced by different fungi usually differ in their chemical structures, the chemical composition which depends upon the substratum on which they are generated and the ambient environment under which they are grown. Aflatoxin is among the most common and widely known mycotoxins. In addition to aflatoxins, species of Aspergillus also produce other toxins in infected grains.
