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Glite Dictionary
ochratoxin

ochratoxin

9.9
A poison made by some molds that can contaminate food or animal feed
  • noun
  • /ˌɑːkrəˈtɒksɪn/
  • Specialized
: ocretóxina
  • Ochratoxins damage the kidneys and are carcinogenic.

Examples

  • Farmers must test animal feed for ochratoxin to prevent toxic exposure to livestock.

  • A. ochraceus produces ochratoxins (also produced by some penicillia, as mentioned above).

    Academic text (2003)

  • The presence of ochratoxin in wine can cause serious health issues if consumed frequently.

  • Rice products contaminated with ochratoxin may pose risks to consumers when eaten regularly.

Synonyms

biotoxin
vsochratoxin
  • Specialized
2 7.9

A poisonous substance made by a living thing like a plant, animal, or germ

is limited to toxins from certain molds that contaminate food and animal feed
mycotoxin
vsochratoxin
  • Specialized
1 9.7

A poison made by some molds that can get into food or animal feed

is a specific toxin made by certain molds rather than all fungal toxins

Surface Forms

ochratoxin singular
ochratoxins plural

Morphology

ochratoxin = toxin (semi-transparent) = ochra + toxin

The -toxin element makes the word clearly refer to a poisonous substance, but the combining element 'ochra' is obscure to most learners and does not transparently indicate the specific mold-related meaning.

Etymology

The word ochratoxin comes from the Greek root ochros meaning 'pale yellow' and the part toxin meaning 'poison'. It was named for the yellow pigment of some molds, so ochratoxin is a 'yellow poison' made by molds that can make food unsafe.