English Abstract In this report summaries are presented of lectures,
discussions and poster presentations of the 104th AOAC Annual International
Meeting, New Orleans, U.S.A., 10-13 September 1990. Emphasis is laid on
new developments, studyresults, facts and opinions in the area of mycotoxin
research. Some important conclusions: - Microbial infections through food
are worldwide significantly increasing. - There is a growing interest for
(certified) reference materials for organic analytes. - The number of
commercial ELISA testkits for mycotoxins and veterinary drugs is rapidly
growing. They are applied in practice, but the time-consuming
AOAC-validation procedures cannot keep up with the developments. The first
immunoaffinity/HPLC analysis procedure for aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2
probably will be approved by AOAC for official first action status. -
Combinations of TLC/HPLC and ELISA offer new perspectives for selective
determination of mycotoxins and metabolites at low levels of detection. -
Fumonisin, a recently discovered Fusarium mycotoxin, leads to much concern
among scientists and administrators, because of its assumed relation with
human oesophageal cancer and its proven relationshcip with a deathly horse-
disease in the U.S.A. - As yet, it is unclear whether problems may be
expected with aflatoxin contamination in maize in the U.S.A. this year. In
certain areas, the harvest is delayed because of drought. There are signs,
that this year's peanut harvest in Southern U.S.A. States is hit hard by
drought and aflatoxin contamination.
