Mycotoxin classification

Carcinogenicity has been used by the World Health Organization as an index for classifying mycotoxins [32]. However, the carcinogenic effects of very few mycotoxins have been established or even directly correlated. Therefore, this method of classifying mycotoxins may not be applicable at the present time. But as the carcinogenic risk of more mycotoxins is established based on ongoing research to identify the associations between human or animal consumption of contaminated food and the incidence of associated mycotoxicosis, this classification system may become very relevant. 

All trichothecenes include the tricyclic 12,13-epoxytrichothec-9-ene core, 370. Based on this structure and its substitution pattern, the mycotoxins have been classified into four types, A (371), B (372), C (373), and D (374), by Ueno et al. Type A (371) can have a hydroxy group, an ester, or no functional group at C-8. Type B (372) possesses a carbonyl group at C-8, type C (373) has an epoxide function at C-7/C-8, and type D (374) mycotoxins are macrocyclic trichothecenes. Included among these four types there are some exceptions, which cannot be grouped accurately using this classification. Other classification systems for trichothecenes were proposed by Jarvis et al. (312) and Tamm et al. (313), but these will not be further discussed in this volume (Fig. 8.3). 

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