New Technology To Detect Mycotoxins In Animal Feed

Prof Cobus Visagie, a mycologist studying fungi at the University of Pretoria’s Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, was recently awarded a prestigious research grant under the Future Leaders’ African Independent Research programme. He explains the impact of mycotoxins on humans and animals.

- Prof Cobus Visagie

1: According to Prof Cobus Visagie, more work needs to be done on the health impact of mycotoxins on animals.

My research project at the University of Pretoria’s Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute is titled ‘Ensuring human food and animal feed safety: characterising sources of mycotoxin contamination’. It focuses on identifying which fungi occur on South African crops and animal feed, with the aim of developing new approaches to make their identification more robust, faster and cheaper.

THE STRUGGLE TO FEED THE MILLIONS

World hunger is one of the greatest challenges facing people. One in nine people go to bed hungry and one in three is malnourished. According to pre-COVID-19 statistics, 23% of Africa’s population are undernourished and approximately 45% of child deaths are linked to malnutrition.

In South Africa, even though it is considered one of the most food-secure countries on the continent, 26% of the population suffer from hunger and 28% are at risk of hunger.

According to the UN, the world’s population is expected to reach 9,7 billion by 2050.

Population growth, together with political instability, climate change, pests and diseases (including mycotoxins), limited availability of land, poverty and lack of technology, amongst many other factors, place the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger by 2030 at great risk.