{{Rwanda Agricultural Board (RAB) in partnership with Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-Rwanda and other Institutions, are in a two-day meeting aimed at quantifying mycotoxin in Rwanda.}}
Mycotoxins are substances naturally produced by moulds and fungi that are normally present as some form of defence for the organism. All natural materials, and many man-made ones, are subject to contamination by moulds and fungi.
The growth of moulds and fungi is typically encouraged by heat and the presence of moisture, however their toxin production is dictated by other factors that induce stress including drought.
This meeting is the beginning of a deep research that will focus on cassava and maize crop in Rwanda, as they are among the most vulnerable to mycotoxin and they occupy a big place of agro-climatic zone in the country.
Quantification of mycotoxin contamination is a first and essential step in protecting people from this substance that affect food and feeds by causing illness of varying severity and death in animals and humans.
Leave a Reply