Research

• BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF THE FUNGI
  • Characterization of fungal contaminants at the different levels of the food/feed chains
  • Influence of biotic and abiotic factors on mycotoxin synthesis

Patulin is the most common mycotoxin found in apples and apple-derived products such as juice, cider, compotes and other food intended for young children. Exposure to this mycotoxin is associated with immunological, neurological and gastrointestinal outcomes.

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• BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF THE TOXINS
  • Characterization of the specialized metabolism of toxigenic fungi
  • Elucidation of biosynthetic pathways and their regulations at molecular level

The study of many mycotoxins does not raise difficulties when they are isolated, purified and in quantities sufficient for the usual detection methods used in biology (Chromatography, NMR, Mass Spectrometry). When they are found in a biological fluid (blood, urine…), they are often in infinitesimal amount such as the effect of their biological matrices or the background noise that make their detection and their quantification very delicate.

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• BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR EFFECTS
  • Mechanism of action of the mycotoxins especially on the intestine
  • Toxicity of mixtures of mycotoxins
  • Toxicity of new fungal metabolites (emerging toxins, masked toxins, degradation products, newly identified specialized metabolites)

We have extensively studied, in the past, effects of mycotoxins on the systemic immune response. We turn now our research to the effects of these toxins on the intestine (first target of food contaminants) particularly to the toxicity of “new” mycotoxins and mycotoxin mixtures.

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