Course description
The course aims to train the Agri-food industry on mycotoxin and associated mitigation strategies with a specific focus on aflatoxin mycotoxins in peanuts.
Upcoming start dates
Suitability - Who should attend?
This training is suitable for farmers, merchants, and actors of the peanuts food chain that want to obtain knowledge on applied aspects of aflatoxins management in the peanuts food chain.
Outcome / Qualification etc.
What you will learn
On successful completion of this course you will be able to:
- Understand and apply the fundamental concepts linked with fungal spoilage and mycotoxin contamination,
- Critically discuss the quantification of mycotoxins and link with potential ongoing regulation: the case of aflatoxins,
- Identify and critically discuss the different mitigation strategies and how they could be implemented,
- Define and challenge a new protocol to establish good practices within your research/industry context.
Training Course Content
Core content
Core modules
- Introduction to food mycology
- Fungal occurrence in food and food environment, introduction to mycotoxigenic fungi, hurdle technology.
- Introduction to mycotoxins
- What are mycotoxins? Chemistry, Toxicity, when are mycotoxins produced? Mycotoxins reduction.
- Mycotoxin Regulation
- Which mycotoxins are regulated in the UK? Glance of mycotoxin regulation worldwide,
- Emerging mycotoxins – which mycotoxins are under surveillance?
- Mycotoxin sampling.
- Mycotoxin Detection
- Mycotoxin detection techniques introduction and context-specific usage.
Food-chain specific modules
- Aflatoxin in the peanut chain
- Aspergillus spp. production of aflatoxins. Pre-harvest, Post-harvest, Transport, Process, and End-product.
- Aflatoxin mitigation: Passive change of practices
- Pre-harvest, Post-harvest, Transport, Process and End-product.
- Aflatoxin mitigation: Active change of practices
- Pre-harvest, Post-harvest, Transport, Process and End-product.
- Economics of aflatoxin management within the peanut food chain context, developed countries, developing countries, example of success stories.
Course delivery details
Course structureThe total length of the course is four days and consists of several theoretical, practical online activities and case study sessions to reflect on your current practices prior to a face-to-face personal session with one of the scientists of the Mycotoxin Training Hub.
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Cranfield University
Cranfield is a specialist postgraduate university that is a global leader for education and transformational research in technology and management. We have many world-class, large-scale facilities, including our own global research airport, which offers a unique environment for transformational education...