Contamination and Detoxification of Aflatoxins

아플라톡신 오염 및 저감화 방안

South Korea is the representative consumption country of herbal medicines and most of herbal medicines circulating in Korea have been importing from the developing countries of Southeast Asia such as China, Vietnam, Indonesia and so forth. Domestic hygiene and safety are continuously proposed because herbal medicines which are circulating have the possibility could remain contaminants or residues. Physicochemical contaminants such as heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, radionucleosides, microbial toxins, biological contaminants such as microorganisms and animals, agrochemical residues such as pesticides, substances used for fumigation, antiviral agents, and solvent residues are classified as major contaminants and residues in herbal medicines from 2005 September WHO.$^{1)}$ Currently our administration have established a permission standard and the inspection criteria against the heavy metal, the residual pesticides and a residual sulfur dioxide. Furthermore our administration is continuously monitoring and conducting researches for the policies and their scientific ground against herbal medicines. But the appearances or discoveries of the harmful new species due to environmental and industrial developments are becoming social problems. Therefore it may be necessary to continuously consider and investigate regarding hereupon. Recently, the contamination of the mycotoxins against foods such as cereals, nuts and the powdered red pepper have developed and started became problematic issue, and possibility of contamination against the herbal medicine is proposed. And since populations who are using the herbal medicines very limited to several nations, recognition and researches about contamination of mycotoxins in herbal medicines are very insufficient. Therefore it will be need to more focus on the international regulation of quality control and safety for herbal medicines. Now on, we are going to introduce the importance, occurrence, characteristic properties, World-wide research trends and detoxification of aflatoxins, which is known as the most potent mutagen, carcinogen and teratogen mycotoxins.