Warning over toxic fungus in staple food

EATING poisonous food isn’t always about consuming a deadly mushroom and keeling over. It can be a long and slow process‚ but just as dangerous.

A researcher from North-West University‚ Theodora Ekwomadu‚ has raised the alarm over the high levels of mycotoxins (from the Greek “fungus poison”) in African food.

He says there are 300 types of mycotoxins‚ and 12 are a health hazard.

“They are the most hazardous of all food contaminants and can have long-term cumulative effects on health. Even low levels of mycotoxins in staple foods are very serious because people consume so much of them.”

If you regularly consume mycotoxin-contaminated food‚ you are essentially exposing yourself to low levels of highly toxic chemicals. Over time‚ this could have serious consequences‚ which include cancer and immune system disorders.

Affected foods potentially include wheat‚ alcoholic beverages‚ corn‚ sugar‚ peanuts‚ barley and cheeses.

In 2003‚ the UN estimated that one-quarter of food was affected. More recent studies put the estimate at three-quarters.

Either way‚ the bad news is that cooking food‚ popularly praised for “killing germs”‚ has no effect on fungus poisons because they are resistant to heat.

Africa is more vulnerable than other regions because the poisons love a warm‚ humid climate.

“There is a tendency to harvest crops early resulting in a high moisture content‚ which means they will take longer to dry and are prone to fungal contamination‚” Ekwomadu said.

“This threat is exacerbated by inadequate storage facilities with poor ventilation‚ heat and humidity.”