Toxin Testing

The term ‘food poisoning’ covers a wide range of food-borne diseases caused by an equally wide range of microorganisms. Less common, but equally important from a food safety point of view, is food poisoning as a result of intoxication. Intoxication occurs as a result of ingesting pre-formed bacterial toxins in food.

Dangerous toxins can be found in food crops at any stage in the supply chain, which is why a regular schedule of food safety testing is vital to the health of the public. One such class of toxins, mycotoxins, are naturally occurring compounds produced by certain types of molds that can appear on many kinds of agricultural products.