The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that at least 5–10% of the world food supply is lost annually to fungi and mycotoxins—poisonous chemicals produced by molds during their growth on foods, feeds, and various agricultural commodities such as cereal grains, oilseeds, and nuts (Bullerman, 2004). In the United States, the estimated annual cost of fungal and mycotoxin contamination of food and feed is $418 million to $1.66 billion.
According to Lloyd B. Bullerman, Professor of Food Microb…