The South Korean Food and Drug Safety Department recently released news that total aflatoxin was detected to exceed the standard in products produced and sold by WOONONG Food, a Korean food production and processing enterprise, in the Rice Peanut (food category: peanut products. Order it to stop selling and recall related products!
Not long ago, the Food and Drug Administration of Henan Province also released news that in recent food sampling, a number of peanut samples were detected to exceed the standard of aflatoxin.
The fact that aflatoxin exceeds the standard raises doubts about what aflatoxin is. How bad are they to your health? Do we have any way to prevent or reduce their harm?
Aflatoxin is a class 1 carcinogen
Aflatoxin is a large class of mycotoxins (about 300 species). It was identified as a class 1 carcinogen by the cancer research institute of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1993.
Aflatoxin is known to be the most toxic and carcinogenic mycotoxin. Its toxicity is said to be equivalent to 10 times that of potassium cyanide and 68 times that of arsenic.
Its toxicity has three clinical characteristics: acute poisoning, chronic poisoning and carcinogenicity, carcinogenic, teratogenic, mutagenic effects. Its carcinogenic characteristics are wide range of carcinogenesis, can induce fish, poultry, various experimental animals, livestock and primates and other animals such as cancer, in addition to the main cause of liver cancer, but also can induce gastric cancer, renal cancer, rectal cancer, breast cancer, and so on. Tumors such as the ovary and small intestine can also lead to teratogenesis. As a result, many countries have established limit standards for aflatoxin in food.
Burn at 100 ℃ for 20 hours to kill undead carcinogens
The optimum temperature for the growth of Aspergillus flavus was 26 ℃ ~ 28 ℃. The higher the temperature, the faster the growth of Aspergillus flavus was. However, when the temperature was 25 ℃ ~ 32 ℃ and the relative humidity was 80% ~ 90%, Aspergillus flavus could rapidly secrete toxin. Therefore, the toxin is suitable for survival in high temperatures and very wet places.
The stability of aflatoxin is very strong, it is difficult to kill at general temperature, it is also not easy to dissolve in water, the ordinary cooking process can not destroy it, even if it is sterilized at 100 ℃ for 20 hours, it may not be completely removed.
Be careful, they're hiding the flavomycin in these food.
1, a peanut is moldy, better throw away a bag
Aflatoxin is most likely to hide in moldy foods, especially those with high starch content, and peanuts are no exception. In high-temperature and humid environments, it is most likely to breed this carcinogenic mold.
Note: if there is a peanut mold, the whole bag of peanuts should be thrown away. Aspergillus flavus is transmitted in the form of spores, food is extremely susceptible to mildew.
2. Bitter nut
If you eat bitter melon seeds, almonds and other nuts, be sure to spit out and gargle. The bitter taste of nuts, such as melon seeds, comes from aflatoxin produced during mildew. Frequent ingestion increases the risk of liver cancer.
Suggestion: Don't be lazy to eat a mildewed nut snack at ordinary times. Get up and spit it out and rinse your mouth with clear water.
3, the auricularia that has drenched for several days
There was such news: a consumer in Ruian, Zhejiang province, suffered from food poisoning caused by eating auricularia auricula for three days, resulting in multiple organ failure and life threatening.
Doctor's result: this is a serious consequence of microbial toxins. Auricularia in the bubble, will produce aflatoxin, Penicillium toxin, and so on.
Suggestion: how many bubbles to eat, do not soak for several days.
4, unwashed chopsticks
Chopsticks themselves do not grow yellow Aspergillus, but usually use chopsticks to eat corn, peanuts and other high starch food, chopsticks easy to store starch. Over time it causes mold to produce aflatoxin. Bare chopsticks, lacquer chopsticks, very easy to crack and store food residue, and produce aflatoxin.
Recommendations:
Wash should first bubble, soften the food residue above, wash to drain a water, put in a dry, ventilated place to dry.
Put chopsticks head up, dishes can be suspended or stand up, do not place walls or flat on the table, it is best to rinse with water before each use.
5, moldy corn
Aflatoxin, hidden in moldy foods, especially peanuts, corn, beans and other foods with high starch content. Starch can breed aflatoxin, which causes liver cancer, in high temperature and humidity.
Recommendations:
1, buy less each time, do not "save", lest mildew.
2, suspected that the surface attached to aflatoxin rice corn, and not willing to throw away, when scrubbing rice with warm water to wash three or four times, or cooking in a pressure cooker, can destroy a part of aflatoxin;
6, small workshop self-extracting oil
Generally small mill press, or domestic press process is simple, without the removal of harmful substances process, can not refine raw materials, so the appearance of normal, the inside has appeared aflatoxin peanuts, is not singled out. Raw materials mildew, pressed oil may also bring aflatoxin.
Suggestion: go to big supermarket to buy famous brand.
In doing so, stay away from aflatoxin.
A lot of people say, I cook the food well in the pot, can't "sterilize".
That's not true. General cooking processing temperature, can not destroy aflatoxin, because aflatoxin cracking temperature is 280 ℃. Only up to 280 ℃, can inactivate, ordinary cooking methods can not be sterilized. Even disinfecting the cupboard, aflatoxin is resistant to ultraviolet light.
1. The oil is hot. Add salt first.
A small action before cooking can help eliminate a certain amount of aflatoxin. If we're cooking oil like peanut oil, heat it in a pot, add a small amount of salt and stir it for 10 minutes for 20 seconds, it basically removes aflatoxin from most of the cooking oil.
The effect of salt on the neutralization and degradation of the aflatoxin is about 95% of the aflatoxin.
2. Eat more leafy green vegetables.
Eat more green leafy vegetables, can let us accidentally eat aflatoxin down part of the invalidation.
Because chlorophyll can prevent aflatoxin absorption, prevent liver cancer.
Try not to hoard food
The most effective way to avoid aflatoxin is to cut off the source and prevent food mold from producing aflatoxin.
When buying food, if you find that the package is not clean, do not buy damaged ones;
Purchase nuts should try to choose small packaging. After buying home, it is best to store in low temperature, ventilation, dry place (temperature below 20 ℃, relative humidity below 80%), and avoid direct sunlight irradiation.