A trichothecene mycotoxin produced by Trichothecium roseum and related fungi — one of the first trichothecenes to be characterized. Trichothecin contaminates fruits, vegetables, and cereals colonized by T. roseum, the pink-rot mould, contributing to the toxic load of visibly spoiled produce. Like other trichothecenes, it inhibits eukaryotic protein synthesis, with cytotoxic and antifungal activity that has even attracted pharmaceutical interest. In food contexts, however, it is simply a marker of advanced mould spoilage: sound sorting, prompt cooling, and rejection of rotted produce keep trichothecin — and the pink rot that produces it — out of the food supply.