Food products, especially harvested grains, need to be stored carefully. Proper management means storing them in conditions that are cool and dry. If conditions become too hot or moist, it promotes the growth of molds, and many of them can produce mycotoxins. These harmful compounds can lead to death at high concentrations, but even at low levels have serious health effects such as cancer, liver problems, and immunosuppression.
Jae-Hyuk Yu, a professor in the Bacteriology Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has some
helpful information about mycotoxins that you should know.