Chemical food poisoning & human mycotoxins & specific mycotoxins. Chemical food poisoning by chemical in food, human mycotoxins, specific mycotoxins.

1. Chemical Food Poisoning
Human Mycotoxins &
Specific Mycotoxins
 Created By M.i. Jamil
14/7/2018

2. Chemical Food Poisoning
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3. What is Chemical Food Poisoning ?
 Chemical food poisoning is a periodic menace both for the health of the
consumers and for trade. It can be intentional or unintentional. In the latter
case, poisoning may have a very large attack rate and it may be caused by
sophistication or by environmental pollution.
 Example of large attack;
 The methanol poisoning in Italy in 1985
 The Iraq accident in 1971-1972 due to mercury-contaminated flour
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4. Types of Chemical Food Poisoning
 There are two main types of chemical poisoning.
 Caused by chemical products (Pesticides)
 Or by heavy metals.
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5. Types of Chemical Food Poisoning
• Pesticides
Common sources of chemical contamination of foods are pesticides including
insecticides, herbicides and rodenticides, and detergents, or their containers. When
these chemical products find their way into food they can cause poisoning.
• Heavy metals
Metals cause poisoning when foods are stored in faulty or damaged containers
made of materials like tin, lead, copper and zinc. These metals can dissolve in acid
foods such as fruit juices and produce fast-acting poisons in the body when
ingested.
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6. Which Chemical Causes Food Poisoning ?
 Trichloroethane (spray cans, insulation, spot removers)
 Tetrachloroethylene (dry–cleaning solutions)
 Formaldehyde (glue, foam, preservatives, plywood, fabrics, insulation)
 Para-dichlorobenzene (P-DCB) (mothballs, air fresheners)
 Toluene (solvents, cleaning fluids, wood finishing products)
 Acetone (nail polish removers)
 Lead poisoning
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7. Which Chemical Causes Food Poisoning ?
 Carbon tetrachloride (dry cleaning solutions, paint removers)
 Perchloroethylene (cleaning solvents)
 Radon is an odorless gas
 Carbon Monoxide
 Chlorine (dishwasher detergents)
 Ammonia (antibacterial cleaning agents)
 Petroleum (dish soaps, laundry detergents, floor waxes)
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8. Which Chemical Causes Food Poisoning ?
 Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a common flavoring agent.
 Artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame or saccharin. These sweeteners can
cause a variety of health problems.
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9. Which Chemical Causes Food Poisoning ?
 Artificial colors. Color additives can be found in a variety of foods
 Preservatives. Many of the preservatives found in foods are very hazardous.
Nitrates, a common preservatives in cured and luncheon meats and canned
products, are known to cause cancer.
 Synthetic antioxidants are used in prepackaged foods to prevent food
spoilage. Common synthetic antioxidants
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10. Symptoms of Chemical Food Poisoning
 Signs and symptoms of poisoning are so wide and variable that there is
no easy way to classify them.
 Some poisons enlarge the pupils, while others shrink them.
 Some result in excessive drooling, while others dry the mouth and skin.
 Some speed the heart, while others slow the heart.
 Some increase the breathing rate, while others slow it.
 Some cause pain, while others are painless.
 Some cause hyperactivity, while others cause drowsiness. Confusion is
often seen with these symptoms
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11. Treatment of Chemical Food Poisoning
 Control Nausea and Vomiting
 Don't take anti-nausea or anti-diarrhea medication without asking your doctor
 Antibiotics
 Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
 Norfloxacin (Noroxin)
 Avoid foods high in dairy, fat, fiber, and sugar and opt for mild foods instead.
 The BRAT diet – bananas, rice, applesauce, toast — is a good place to start.
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12. Prevention of Chemical Food Poisoning
 Clean – always wash your hands before and after handling and eating food
 Cook – make sure that food is thoroughly cooked in order to destroy any
harmful bacteria that might be present.
 Chill – keep food cool in order to prevent bad bacteria from growing; – aim to
keep your fridge at 5°C or below.
 Separate to prevent cross-contamination
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13. Human Mycotoxins
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14. What is a Mycotoxin ?
 Secondary metabolites (chemicals) of a fungus that produce toxic results in
another organism.
 Cytotoxic: disrupt cell structures such as membranes, and processes such as
protein, DNA, and RNA synthesis.
 Lack of visible appearance of fungus does not negate presence of mycotoxins.
Toxins can remain in the organism after fungus has been removed.
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15. Information About Fungus
 Range from single cells to fruiting bodies that form molds, mushrooms, smuts,
and yeasts.
 Absorb nutrients from living or deceased organisms, contain no chlorophyll.
 If multicellular, they have tubular filaments called hyphae that branch out.
 Reproduce using spores.
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16. Fungal Infection
 Can occur at any stage in crop production.
 While in the field.
 During harvesting.
 While in silage and storage.
 Spores can lay dormant for months to years, waiting for positive conditions
for germination.
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www.allaboutfeed.net
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17. Conditions to Encourage Fungal Growth
 Relative humidity over 70%.
 Temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius for a period of a few days to a week.
 Stress to the affected plant, such as drought, flood, or insect infestation.
 High moisture content of crop (20% or higher).
 Must occur in conjunction, or fungal growth cycle will cease.
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18. Mycotoxin Chain of Events
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19. Mycotoxin Health Hazards
 Generally lower risk in well developed countries due to improved standards of
living.
 High intake of affected product, usually in conjunction with limited amounts
of other food sources.
 Greatest threat comes from long term exposure due to eating spoiled food or
meat from animals fed contaminated feed.
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20. Symptoms of Mycotoxicosis
 Drugs and antibiotics are not effective in treatment.
 The symptoms can be traced to foodstuffs or feed.
 Testing of said foodstuffs or feed reveals fungal contamination.
 The symptoms are not transmissable person to person.
 The degree of toxicity is subject to persons age (more often in very young and
very old), sex ( more often in females than males)and nutritional status.
 Outbreaks of symptoms appear seasonally.
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21. Mycotoxin Effects on Humans
 Economic loss due to impaired health of stock animals.
 Illness: symptoms can include cold/flu-like symptoms, sore throats,
headaches, nose bleeds, fatigue, diarrhea, dermatitis, and immune
suppression, and vary by species.
 Death.
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22. Mycotoxin Statistics
 300-400 mycotoxins presently identified, with more becoming evident as new
isolation techniques are used.
 Most frequent toxins present are aflatoxin, DON, ZEN, fumonisin, and T-2
toxin, to name a few.
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23. Fusarium
 Fungal species from the genus Fusarium will attack corn and wheat plants.
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24. Fusarium (Cont.)
 Most are plant pathogens and can be found in soil.
 Some examples of affected plants are corn, wheat, barley, beans, with lesser
contamination in rye, triticale, millet, and oats.
 Trichothecene toxins target the
circulatory, alimentary, skin,
and nervous systems.
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25. F. Graminearum- Wheat
 Causes scab damage to kernels and head blight.
 Produces deoxynivalenol (DON), also called vomitotoxin.
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DON
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26. DON and T-2 Toxin
 These are tricothecenes of wheat, grain, and barley.
 They cause necrosis and hemorrhage of the digestive tract, decreased blood
production in the bone and spleen, and changes to reproductive systems.
 In poultry, causes reduced egg production, beak lesions, and abnormal
feathering
 Optimal temperature range is between 70 and 85 degrees Farenheit.
 Advisory level of DON is 1 ppm.
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www.epitool.org
www.zeostore.com
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27. Zearalenone
 A tricothecene.
 Mimics the body’s production of estrogen.
 Causes feminization of male animals.
 Disrupts conception, ovulation, and fetal development in female animals.
 Pigs are especially sensitive, poultry and cows show little sensitivity.
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28. Penicillium Toxins
 Separated into two groups: those that affect liver and kidneys, and those that
are neurotoxic.
 Liver and kidney toxins are asymptomatic and cause overall animal debility.
 Neurotoxins cause visible
trembling.
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29. Ochratoxin A and Citrinin
 Affects kidney function.
 Causes Balkan nephropathy and Yellow Rice Fever in humans.
 Chickens, turkeys, and ducklings are affected by ochratoxicosis, causing poor
weight gain, egg output, and poor shell quality.
 Ochratoxin sources are peanuts, pecans, beans, dried fruit and dried fish.
 Citrinin sources are in wheat, rice, corn, and flour.
 Citrinin is most associated with horses, pigs, dogs, and poultry.
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Ocratoxin A Citrinin
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30. Quick Toxin Review
Organ System Affected Toxin(s)
Vascular Aflatoxin
Digestive Aflatoxin, T-2toxin, Vomitotoxin
Respiratory Trichothecenes
Nervous Trichothecenes
Cutaneous Tricothecenes
Urinary Ochratoxin A, Citrinin
Reproductive Zearalenone, T-2 toxin
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31. Specific Mycotoxins
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32. Aspergillus Toxins
 Large genus with more than 100 species, 50 of which are known to
produce mycotoxins.
 Some of which are aflatoxin, ochratoxin A, sterignmatocystin,
cycolopiazonic acid, citrinin, patulin, and tremorgenic toxin.
 Aspergillus niger is used to make artificial citric acid; one use is in soft
drinks.
 Miso, soy sauce, and sake use strains of A. oryzae.
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33. Aspergillus Life Cycle
www.sciencedaily.com
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34. Aspergillus and Aflatoxin
 Aflatoxicosis: caused by high doses in short intervals or low doses in high
intervals.
 1961, caused the deaths of over 100,000 turkey poults: “Turkey X disease”.
 Toxin was traced to contaminated Brazilian peanut meal in poultry feed.
 Grows best between 80-90 degrees
Farenheit.
 Damage to grain increases
likelihood of fungal growth.
http://www.icrisat.org/satrends/01feb/aflatoxin-chickens.jpg
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35. Aflatoxin B-1
 Definite link to cancer in animals.
 Possible link to cancer in humans. Studies done in Africa and
Asia show a correlative link, but not a causative one.
 Primarily attacks the liver, in cases of cirrhosis, necrosis, and
carcinomas with a secondary affect of immune suppression.
 Risk factor for neonatal jaundice, in areas of maternal
consumption.
 Does not stay in the body for long periods of time, usually
excreted within 96 hours, in animals.
 In milk, for human consumption, advisory level is .5 ppb.
http://www.icrisat.org/aflatoxin/images/aflavus.gif
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36. Regulatory Control
 In 1965, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set the first mycotoxin limit of
20 parts per billion (ppb) for aflatoxin in all foods and feed.
 But, this toxin can appear at varying levels of food production, so multiple testing
at different points in the food chain is necessary.
 Using ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) technology, testing can be
done cheaper and faster than previously.
 The FDA does not do the testing, various other agencies do, such as the Grain
Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration; but, toxic levels must be
reported to the FDA.
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37. Future Fight Against Mycotoxins
 Have farmers select strains resistant to contamination.
 Scientists hope to genetically engineer plants resistant to fungal infection.
 Use feed additives that sequester the toxins and prevent absorption from the
gastrointestinal tract.
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