Consumption Of Carrion Research Articles

Moses and mycotoxins

Examples from the Pentateuch indicate that it had been recognized as early as the times of Moses that molds could present hazards to health and that simple yet effective preventive measures had been devised for protection from serious consequences of mycotoxins. Some of the Mosaic dietary prohibitions appear now as if they were designed for protection from mycotoxins, the production of which would be favored by the prevailing climatic conditions in the Middle East. The unusual circumstances that preceded the exodus of the ancient Hebrews from Egypt could have caused a proliferation of mycotoxins, which might have been involved in the plagues that afflicted the Egyptians. It is of interest that the Mosaic law forbids the consumption of carrion, the flesh of the omnivorous pig and certain other animals, the blood, and the abdominal fat from livestock and other animals that may sometimes be contaminated by mycotoxins. Recent epidemiological evidence implicating animal fats in certain cardiovascular diseases and cancers may be related to the occasional presence of lipophylic mycotoxins in the adipose tissues of animals, rather than to their physiological constituents, the saturated fatty acids and cholesterol.