We are exploring the interactions between fungi, food, feed and drinking water and the raw materials used in their production. We are dealing both with those rendering the food and feed toxic for human or animal (including aquatic animals) consumption and the ones that cause quality loss. We are especially concentrating on the fungi and toxic metabolites of the mould genera Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium.

We provide independent research-based mycological consultancy-service to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and other stakeholders responsible for the food and feed production chain from farm and fjord to fork.

We have a broad expertise specialised in feed, food and drinking water related mould and yeast species, applying both traditional and molecular methods. The roles of airborne fungi and fungi in biofilm in contamination of food and feed are also among our fields of expertise.

The toxinology approach; making us able to consider the fungi, the toxins they produce and their effects, is particularly useful when toxicoses are suspected, as we are able to establish links between putative causative mycological agents and potentially toxic fungal substances.

The Toxinology Research group has a close collaboration with the Sections for Chemistry, Microbiology and Molecular biology.