Chapter 5: Transformation of Mycotoxins upon Food Processing: Masking, Binding and Degradation Phenomena

Mycotoxins have always been considered to be thermostable compounds; however, interest in knowing the effects of food processing or cooking on mycotoxin levels has increased during the last decade. Besides, mycotoxins can never be completely removed: examples such as sorting, cleaning, milling and thermal processes can potentially alter their concentration because of mechanical or thermal energies that in fact determine transformation and/or degradation. There is a clear health issue associated with mycotoxins ingestion and the need for regulating masked/modified forms has already been recognised by European regulatory bodies; nevertheless, due to the lack of analytical, exposure and toxicological data, implementation remained vague until now. The present chapter is dedicated to reviewing the relevant studies reported until now about how food processing may often be effective in destroying or redistributing mycotoxins, taking into account the influence that is potentially related to specific modifications of ingredients/recipes and operative conditions at laboratory–pilot–industrial scales. At the same time, the technological treatments employed are reported as playing important roles in the phenomenon associated with “masking-binding”: complex physicochemical modifications occur throughout the transformation of raw materials into the final product.