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FDA warns public on peanuts bearing cancer causing fungus

By Tina G. Santos
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Thursday, January 23rd, 2014

MANILA, Philippines â€" The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public against peanut products, including those sold by ambulant and street vendors, after receiving reports about those found to be laden with cancer-causing fungal contaminant.


photo from fda.gov.ph

In an advisory, FDA acting director general Kenneth Hartigan Go said they have tested some pre-packed peanuts positive for Aflatoxin B1, a by-product of molds.

Aflatoxin B1 is said to be one of the most naturally occurring carcinogenic mycotoxins produced by certain species of fungi.

“The FDA laboratory has tested several pre-packaged peanuts, both imported and locally manufactured, that contained levels of Aflatoxin B1 beyond the acceptable limit of 20 ppb (ug/kg),” Go said.

Go said the peanuts (adobo or nilaga) sold by ambulant and street vendors, could contain aflatoxin beyond the allowable limits.

According to him, aflatoxin (Aspergillus flavus) is also known as “anti-nutritional” or “anti-nutrient” toxin.

“Aflatoxin binds proteins, vitamins, and minerals so that the body cannot absorb the nutrients. In children, aflatoxin can stunt growth and can lead to kwashiorkor, a debilitating disease of nutritional deficiency in children. If ingested over a prolonged period of time in large doses, the poison can also inhibit the immune system,” Go said.

He added that the mutations of cell DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)  due to prolonged exposure to aflatoxin would increase the risk of developing cancer cells.

Peanuts are agricultural crops that are dried after harvesting. If not properly dried, molds can grow on the raw peanuts easily, causing them to rot. As the molds feed on the grain, they produce waste products known as mycotoxins.

The FDA did not disclose the brands of the pre-packed peanuts that they found laden with aflatoxin, as of Thursday, saying that an investigation on the possible source of the contamination has been ongoing.

Go said that as of Thursday, they were still in the process of probing on whether the contamination occurred in the pre-packing process or from raw ingredients.

“Although aflatoxin makes peanuts taste bitter, some unscrupulous food processors or peanut vendors simply mix these bad peanuts with the good ones rather than throw them out,” he said, stressing that mixing contaminated ingredients with unadulterated ones has been prohibited by the FDA Act of 2009, and the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

“All food manufacturers are hereby warned against processing aflatoxin-contaminated or adulterated raw ingredients into finished products,” Go added.

“All consumers are strongly advised to buy only FDA-registered prepackaged products,” he said.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

from The Global Dispatch, Thursday, Jan 23rd, 2014:

Peanuts are agricultural crops that are dried after harvesting. If not properly dried, molds can grow on the raw peanuts easily, causing them to rot. As the molds feed on the grain, they produce waste products known as mycotoxins.

Aflatoxin is a mycotoxin, a natural toxin produced as a secondary metabolite to certain strains of the fungus Aspergillus, in particular Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus.

The toxin is then excreted onto plants or pre-processed foods, some intended for human consumption.

Aflatoxins are contaminants of foods intended for people or animals as a result of fungal contamination. The most common foods implicated are cereals like corn, wheat and rice, oilseeds like peanuts and sunflower, and spices. However, the toxin can affect a very wide range of food stuffs (see below).

Different factors contribute to aflatoxin contamination. In semi-arid climates, the effect of drought can increase the amount of Aspergillus in the air causing pre-harvest contamination of certain crops.

Crops grown and stored in more tropical environments where the temperature and humidity is high usually have a higher risk of both pre and post-harvest contamination. Of course, much of the problem lies with homegrown crops that are not harvested or stored properly.

Aflatoxin poisoning can be broken up into acute and chronic disease depending on the amount of toxin ingested. When people (or animals) ingest aflatoxin contaminated foods, the liver is the main target for disease.

There is a direct link between aflatoxin poisoning and liver cancer. Liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma is an important public health concern in many parts of the world due to aflatoxin. In some countries, acute aflatoxin poisoning results in liver failure and death in up to 40% of cases.

Prevention and control of aflatoxin in developing countries is mainly focused on good agricultural practices.

Because it is impossible to completely eliminate this danger, in the United States feeds and grains are laboratory tested for levels of aflatoxins and food with unacceptable levels are removed from the market.

Foods most commonly affected by aflatoxins (from the USDA’s Food Safety Research Information Office):

• Cereals (maize, corn, sorghum, pearl millet, rice, wheat)
• Oilseeds (peanut, soybean, sunflower, cotton)
• Spices (chillies, black pepper, coriander, turmeric, ginger)
• Tree nuts (almonds, pistachio, walnuts, coconut)
• Dried fruits (sultanas, figs)
• Cocoa beans
• Milk, eggs, and meat products*

* Milk, eggs, and meat products are occasionally contaminated due to the consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated feed by animals.

“Although aflatoxin makes peanuts taste bitter, some unscrupulous food processors or peanut vendors simply mix these bad peanuts with the good ones rather than throw them out,” he said, stressing that mixing contaminated ingredients with unadulterated ones has been prohibited by the FDA Act of 2009, and the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

“All food manufacturers are hereby warned against processing aflatoxin-contaminated or adulterated raw ingredients into finished products,” the acting Director General said.

“All consumers are strongly advised to buy only FDA-registered prepackaged products.”

http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/