ABSTRACT
Although their existence and, indeed, some of their effects on human and animal health have been known for some time, the first mycotoxin was positively identified and chemically characterized in the early 1960s (Nesbit et al., 1962). Mycotoxins have been linked to one of the “ten plagues of Egypt” as described in both the Ipuwer papyrus and the Bible. In recent times, numerous additions have been made to the ever-growing list of mycotoxins and their analogues. This list currently encompasses more than 300 substances which have been isolated and chemically characterized from pure cultures (Steyn, 1995).
