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CV11 5AA.
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Food Matters
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Spud's Down to Earth Advice on...CHEMICAL (FOOD) POISONING - MYCOTOXINS |
| Mycotoxins are harmful chemicals produced by moulds as they grow on crops either in the field or after harvesting. They pose a potential threat to human and animal health via the consumption of food products prepared from these commodities. This section provides an introduction to mycotoxins and specific details on four that are seen as the most important in terms of human health - aflatoxins, ochratoxins, patulin and fumonisins.
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 Introduction
Certain moulds growing on particular crops can produce toxic substances known as mycotoxins. Once formed, mycotoxins are very stable - they are not easily changed by other chemicals or by heat. They can therefore be very difficult to remove from food without damaging the raw (food) material that has been contaminated. Mycotoxins cause harm to humans in a variety of ways - some cause cancer (carcinogens) or produce mutations (changes) in an organism, whilst others may target the kidney, liver or immune system. Mycotoxin production by moulds, whether this occurs in the field or in storage after harvesting, will vary according to:
AFLATOXINS Aflatoxins consist of a group of about 20 toxins produced by at least three species of the mould Aspergillus. Only aflatoxins B1 , B2, G1 and G2 are normally found in foods. Although the highest concentrations of aflatoxins are formed in food crops grown and stored in the warmer areas of the world, the globalisation of the food industry means that aflatoxins are also of concern for importing countries. Food products particularly prone to contamination include figs, peanuts, almonds, pistachios and brazils nuts. Climate plays a crucial part in the conditions that encourage aflatoxin production, so that the problem varies in severity from year to year. Adverse Health Effects Aflatoxins are toxic both in the short and long term. In the temperate, developed areas of the world, acute poisoning in Man is extremely unlikely. However, as aflatoxin B1 is one of the most potent liver carcinogens (cancer-causing substance) known, the long-term chronic exposure to extremely low levels of aflatoxins in the diet creates an important food safety issue. Other liver conditions in which the ingestion of low levels of aflatoxins have been implicated include hepatitis, jaundice and cirrhosis. Aflatoxins can also affect the immune system. Control Because aflatoxin B1 is a genotoxic (damages genetic material) carcinogen, most national food protection agencies have not set a total daily intake figure. The EC has also established maximum permissible limits for aflatoxins in a range of commodities, including nuts, dried fruit and cereals, which are monitored by surveillance programmes. OCHRATOXIN A Ochratoxin A (OTA or OA) is the most toxic of a number of ochratoxins produced by: Aspergillus ochraceus - mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions, where it can contaminate a wide range of foodstuffs e.g. coffee, cocoa, vine fruits and spices, and Penicillium verrucosum - in temperate areas such as Canada and parts of Europe, where it is more commonly associated with barley and other cereals. Ochratoxin A is a moderately stable chemical that will survive most food processing (boiling, baking, roasting or fermentation) to some extent. The degree to which it is destroyed depends on parameters such as pH (acidity), temperature and the other ingredients present. Surveillance of food commodities confirms that ochratoxin A can occur in a wide range of stored products and processed foods e.g. cereals, rice, coffee, beer, wine, nuts and dried vine fruits. Adverse Health Effects Ochratoxin A damages the kidneys, in which it can cause both acute and chronic lesions. Control The most effective way to deal< |
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