Food-Info.net> Topics > Food Safety > Toxins > Overview of food-borne toxins

Overview of food-borne toxins

A toxin is a non-biological substance, causing disease in humans. Many toxins are food-borne and of natural origin. There are literally thousands of food-borne toxins, however, only a few cause outbreaks (e.g. shellfish toxins) or are of importance for public health (e.g. mycotoxins).

Food-borne man-made toxins (i.e. pesticides etc) are not included in this section.

Index of common food-borne toxins

• Bongkrek acid
• Ciguatera
• Grayanatoxin
• Mycotoxins (fungal toxins)
  • Aflatoxins
  • Ochratoxin
  • Trichotecenes
  • Zearalenone
• Phytohaemagglutinin (Bean poisoning)
• Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids
• Scombrotoxin
• Shellfish toxins
• Tetrodotoxin

See also the Questions and Answers > Toxins for more information on food-borne toxins.