Metabolite Toxicology of Fungal Biocontrol Agents

Abstract

Up to 300,000 potentially unique mycotoxins were reported by the Council of Agricultural Science Technology in 2003. Nevertheless, little information is available on fungal biological control agents (FBCAs) that have been developed or are being developed. The knowledge on fungal secondary metabolites and their toxicological significance depends on what is already known in the published scientific literature or in few cases becomes apparent by chance from high throughput screening programmes during product development. The purpose of this chapter is to describe what data basis is most frequently used for a routine evaluation of fungal metabolites and their residues in FBCAs. A decision scheme is discussed, which should be used to assess metabolite toxicity in the context of a worst-case scenario testing. This risk assessment procedure will help to identify the low risk, if any, of old and newly developed microbial pest control agents, and give support to applicants to market their FBCAs.