O/T Aflatoxins--Contaminated food is a serious public health concern

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How safe is the food you eat?

Posted in: Health & Living

Mar 26, 2009 - 12:42:36 AM

Contaminated food is becoming a serious public health concern that can no longer

be ignored, writes , Kikonyogo Ngatya

You have probably seen peeled cassava chips being sun-dried in

pedestrian strips besides highways as you drive upcountry. All the car

fumes and wastes of engine fuels end up on the chips. The

concentrations of lead and other metals are dangerous to health.

Worse still, the preference for posho made from moulded cassava

powder especially for communities in the east and northern Uganda. The

argument for this preference is that such posho is not too sticky and

easy to swallow.

It is grounded on a stone where particles from the stone keep mixing

in the food, forming stones in the colon and subsequent stomach

complications. The grinding stone wears out and reduces in size. These

particles are deposited into the food and consumed by people.

Lead intake by humans is particularly bad. It is highly associated

with I.Q reduction and poor classroom concentration among children and

internal organ failure in adults.

A recent study sheds a daunting image on the public health danger

arising from consuming contaminated foodstuff as a result of poor post

harvesting, handling and storage. Ranging from millet, beans, maize and

sorghum, the cereals are often eaten when they contain storage weevils,

especially in institutions like schools and prisons.

It particularly points at the health implications of consuming

groundnuts paste and smoked fish sold in open markets. It indicates

that a harmful fungus, Aspergillus Flavus Toxins which is commonly

found in the country releases a poison contaminant to foodstuffs known

as aflatoxin.

The poison, which the fungus gives off as a byproduct is deposited

into the food, and later is consumed by people. The study was done by

Makerere University’s Food Department.

The study further found that such contaminated foods, mainly cereals

in the country is “a serious public health and economic concern that

can no longer be ignored.â€

“Food poisoning is a big health and economic problem,†Dr Archilileo

Kaaya, a senior lecturer at Makerere, who led the study said, adding,

“Our grains will soon find it difficult to fetch foreign currency. The

international markets cannot allow such high levels of food

contamination for their consumers..â€

He particularly singled out people with HIV/Aids whom he cautioned

against consuming aflatoxins contaminated foodstuffs as it

significantly deteriorates their health.

It noted that the number of people suffering unexplainable forms of

cancers, internal organ failures and immune system suppression

especially among HIV/Aids cases are steady high.

A case of contaminated ground nuts

Dr Kaaya

cited sauce made from groundnuts paste as a health hazard. Groundnuts

powder in Uganda is on top of the local dishes menu as a sauce. It is

economical, widely available, nutritious and easy to cook.

Due to an increment in the price of beef, people find it convenient

to buy this paste which costs from about Shs300 in many parts of the

country. But its high demand is being abused though, because some

traders add maize and cassava flour to increase on volumes, and their

subsequent profits.

But researchers noted that due to poor handling, the ground nuts

become contaminated with the toxins from harvesting, through the retail

and processing chain.

“Some of the grains are stored for a long time with exposure to

moisture. The fungus attacks the cereals and deposit the harmful

toxins,†the study noted.

Kaaya said the danger with this toxin

(aflatoxin) is that it cannot be broken down by heat. When consumed, it

makes deposits in the liver, leading to liver and blood cancers, among

other health complications.

“These toxins are chemically stable and can only be broken down at

300-degrees centigrade. But by that temperature, the nuts will have

been burnt,†he said.

How the contamination occurs

Kaaya said

after harvesting the groundnuts, farmers normally sundry them on the

ground. They then thresh them with sticks or machines. During this

time, some of the seeds are crushed, but are packed together with the

good seeds. “The fungus finds it easy to attack the exposed grain,†the

study concluded.

At the retailer level, the nuts are crushed with machines into

paste, powder and many products which are poorly packaged are made from

them.

When consumed, aflatoxin-contaminated foods present with stomachache, loss of

energy, dizziness and sometimes vomiting.

“This toxin prevents the body from absorbing nutrients like vitamins

from other foods. The person will complain of general body weakness,â€

the study revealed.

Steel contamination of groundnuts paste

Groundnut paste in Uganda is sold in two forms; the pounded using the

traditional pounding device- motor (kinu) and those which are crushed

using a machine.

The report found that items like steel-wire used for scrubbing

saucepans , often contaminate the paste because they are sold along

side in kiosks and shops.

The study also noted that local artisans (jua kali) in katwe were

fabricating local steel equipment using electricity which crush the

paste. But as it crushes, steel particles mix up with the groundnuts.

Kaaya said all food processing machines must be made from stainless

steel, which is hard to wear out and contaminate the food.

Contamination of smoked fish

The study also

found that rotten dried fish is often smeared with fresh cooking oil to

give it a clean and harmless feel. But inside, the toxins moulds will

have developed and dried up.

Kaaya said the last study on aflatoxins was done in the 1960s and

early 1970s by the British at the University Medical School. He however

noted that there is a need to do thorough further studies on more other

cereals and foods for aflaxtoxins in relation to the national disease

burden.

What to do in case of aflatoxins contamination

Many

people prefer to swallow magnesium based treatment for stomach upsets.

Although this may offer some relief, seek attention and advice from a

trained medical worker. Pregnant women and children are particularly

vulnerable to this contamination and must not self medicate at home.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/health-and-living/How_safe_is_the_food_y\

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