Committee on Natural Toxins

Committee on Natural Toxins and Food Allergens.

Natural Toxins from Cyanobacteria

Morphologically, physiologically and metabolically, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are one of the most diverse groups of prokaryotes. Cyanobacteria bloom abundantly in surface waters as a result of eutrophication, and they produce different types of toxins, so they not only hinder recreational use of bodies of water but also cause health problems in humans and animals. Cyanobacterial toxins (...

Natural Toxins in Food Plants

Natural Toxins in Plant Foodstuffs

Since food plants are mixtures of large numbers of chemical compounds and since any substance is toxic in a high enough dose, it is not surprising that natural food plants are toxic under certain conditions. Toxicity from common natural foods has resulted from long-term consumption of a single food item or from short periods of consumption of foods containing unusually high levels of a toxic su...

The effect of natural toxins on reproduction in livestock.

Reproductive efficiency is the most important economic factor in livestock production. Thus, the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal regulatory axis, accessory sexual organ functionality, and the complex events involved in fertilization, implantation, and embryonic and fetal development may be sensitive to therapeutic agents, environmental pollutants, and natural toxicants. There are many factors tha...