Harmful fungal toxins are on the rise in Europe’s wheat and affect almost half of crops, according to a new study led by the University of Bath.
Harmful fungal toxins are on the rise in Europe’s wheat and affect almost half of crops, according to a new study led by the University of Bath.
Wheat – the most widely cultivated crop in the world – is under growing attack from harmful toxins. Across Europe, almost half of wheat crops are impacted by the fungal infection that gives rise to these toxins, according to a study led by fungal biologist Dr Neil Brown from the University of Bath, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Exeter.
These troublesome ‘mycotoxins’ are produced by the fungus that causes Fusarium Head Blight, a disease that affects wheat and other cereals growing in the field. Eating products contaminated with mycotoxins causes sickness in humans and livestock, such as vomiting and other gastrointestinal problems. Mycotoxins are also bad news for farmers and the economy because they reduce the grain’s value.
Wheat plays a huge role in feeding humanity, providing 18% of the total calories in people’s diets globally. Concerns both for our health and for global food supplies were the impetuses for the new study.
Read more at University of Bath
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