Millenium EditionNEWS FROM INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES The INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA, Wien, Austria), Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, is currently promoting research on mycotoxins through a Coordinated Research Project on the "Evaluation of methods of analysis for determining mycotoxin contamination of food and feed." The project has been launched by the IAEA Food and Environmental Protection Section with the objective of assisting Member States and their institutions to fulfill requirements relevant to food safety and control. The Project should also stimulate international trade in food by identifying and validating efficient analytical methods to effectively monitor the mycotoxin content of agricultural imports and exports. The first meeting of the Project, chaired by Maya Pineiro (Uruguay), was held in April 26-30, 1999 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with the attendance of all contract and research agreement holders from fifteen Countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and USA. Among the workgroups created were the following: 1) Development and validation of low cost, robust, easy-to-perform method for aflatoxins in foods and feeds appropriate for use in Developing Countries; 2) Collaborative study of TLC method for determining fumonisin B1 in maize; 3) Selection and validation of methods for aflatoxin M1 in milk (joint activity with IDF and IUPAC); 4) Analytical methods for ochratoxin A in coffee (implementing existing methods and results of ongoing EU SMT projects); 5) Preparation of radiolabelled fumonisin for disposition studies in naturally contaminated corn; 6) Analytical methods for multiple trichothecenes (implementing results of ongoing EU SMT projects). Contacts: Maya Pineiro, LATU, Avenida Italia 6201, Montevideo, Uruguay. Fax: +5982-601-8554. E-Mail: maya@latu.org.uy or Paisan Loaharanu, Head Food and Environmental Protection, IAEA, P.O. Box 100, Vienna, Austria. Fax: +43-1-26007. E-Mail: Official.Mail@iaea.org. |