University Continuing Education Program »Mycotoxin Summer Academy«

The increasing concern about the safety of food and feed is a result of the global marketplace, climate change and the rise in public awareness about health and quality. Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi on agricultural commodities in the field and during storage, but also in damp indoor environments. National and international institutions re- sponded to the threat posed by these metabolites by adopting regulatory limits for the most important mycotoxins. The necessity to obey to these regulatory limits has led to the develop- ment of sampling plans and various analytical methods for the determination of mycotoxins in a wide range of commodities. These measures are essential to improve exposure estimates and risk assessment strategies regarding mycotoxins.

Program Content

• Mycotoxins, their formation, occurrence and toxicity, their determination in food and feed, as well as the economic damage caused by them
• genetics and taxonomy of toxigenic fungi as well as their determination (e.g. in food or indoor environments, including molecular biology methods)
• issues of food safety regarding these pollutants, state-of-the-art analysis and possibilities for their prevention
• Sustainable learning experience is mediated by practical teaching methods and hands-on lab work
• subject-specific exchange enabling the creation of networks

Learning Outcomes / Competencies gained

• highly specialized theoretical and practical knowledge to analyse and evaluate various problems in relation to food safety regarding mycotoxins.
• communicate this knowledge nationally as well as internationally, tie in with latest findings in the field of food safety
• use the knowledge gained in order to develop, realize and implement independent ideas
• develop a critical awareness to adequately respond to problems
• ability to develop a solid, research-based diagnosis of mycotoxin caused problems by means of integration of knowledge gained in various interdisciplinary fields
• develop, apply and communicate new skills across the disciplines
• evaluate and analyse the risk of mycotoxin production and distribution

Graduates find themselves in the position to communicate state-of-the-arts results, methods and underlying principles in the fields of mycotoxins to a professional audience as well as non-specialists. They can respond to questions on a scientific but also social level of food safety and are ready to develop new approaches for complex work contexts.