Toxins and foodborne pathogens in corn and its related food products

Toxins

1.) Aflatoxins produced by Aspergillus aflavus

• potent liver toxins and liver carcinogens
• largest impact on corn, causing $225 loss million per year
• symptoms of toxicity includes hemorrhage, edema and live damage

* Permitted amount of aflatoxins in human food is 20ppm
# Acceptable daily intake is 100 nanogram/kg body weight

2.)Fumonisins produced by fusarium species; F. verticilliodes, F. proliferatum and F.moniliforme

• possible cause of esophageal cancer in human
• cause acute toxicity in animals
• no corn hybrid are completely resistant to this fungi

* Permitted amount of fumonisins in human food (degermed dry milled corn products with less than 2.25% fat content is 2ppm and in whole/partially degermed dry milled corn products with more than 2.25% fat content is 4ppm
#Acceptable daily intake of fumonisins is 2 microgram/kg body weight

3.) Trichothecene produced by F. graminearum, F.culmorum, F.sporotrichiodes and F.poae.

• symptoms of toxicity includes vomiting, bloody diarrhea, severe dermatitis and hemorrhage
• most susceptible organs and systems are the mucous membrane of the digestive system, the skin and the immune system.

* Permitted amount of trichothecene in human food is 0.5ppm
#Acceptable daily intake is 1 microgram/kg body weight

4.& 5.) Zearalenone and deoxynivalenol produced by Fusarium graminearum

• symptoms of toxicity includes vomiting, liver damage and reproductive defects

# Acceptable daily intake of zearalenone is 0.5 microgram/kg body weight and 1 microgram/kg body weight for deoxynivalenol

6.) Ochratoxin A produced by Aspergillus ochraceus and Penicilliu cerrucosum

• carcinogenic to human and capable of inducing oxidative DNA damage

# Acceptable daily intake of Ochratoxin A is 100 nanogram/kg body weight

Pathogens

1.) Escherichia coli

• presence indicates poor hygiene practices during processing
• cause watery diarrhea in food poisoning cases

* Microbial limit of E.coli in corn flour is 10 cfu/g

2.) Bacillus cereus

• produces enterotoxins to cause diarrheal type & emetic type of food poisoning

* Microbial limit of B.cereus in corn flour is 10cfu/g

Sources:

Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

World Food Programme (WFP)

Food and Drugs Association (FDA)