Our goal is to contribute to propose practical solutions to decrease the risk of mycotoxins of cereals and its consequences on animal and human health, and on the economic losses for the growers and the food and feed industry.

MycSA is in the centre of the French device of research and development on this set of themes. The unit animates a network, INRA Fusatox which seeks to take into account all the components leading to the presence in the human and animal consumption of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species. It ensures also scientific animation and takes an active part in the National Technological Network (RMT Quasaprove) for the Safety of Field Crop Productions in the Food and Feed chain and RMT Al-Chimie for the knowledge and management of chemical contaminants i, the food chain.The way of entry of our research tasks is the fungus and the principal parameter of exit is the synthesis and the accumulation of toxins.

The main objects of studies are Fusarium graminearum and  Fusarium verticillioides producing respectively Trichothecenes and Fumonisines. The scientific activity is described through three research orientations interacting between them and which represent different levels of approaches:

Axis 1: The diversity of Fusarium spp conditions their potential of toxinogenesis and the accumulation of mycotoxins in the grains.

Axis 2: Ways of biosynthesis of the mycotoxins: the networks of regulation.

Axis 3: The chemical and microbial environment of Fusarium spp. affects the accumulation of mycotoxins in the grains.

MycSA used to work on the Biology and Genetics of Macroscopic Fungi with the challenge to improve and integrate knowledge on macroscopic fungi in order to contribute to the optimisation of their use as bio-indicators, as food, as sources of biomolecules for agriculture and human health. With international collaborations and using amounts of previously obtained data, researchers are currently publishing several articles on this topic.