Transcript MYCOTOXIN CONTROL STRATEGIES IN AGRICULTURAL

MYCOTOXIN
CONTROL
STRATEGIES IN
AGRICULTURAL
COMMODITIES
A presentation made at the
sensitization workshop held at Chelsea
Hotel FCT, Nigeria
PROF H. A. MAKUN
Federal University of
Technology Minna, Nigeria
What are mycotoxins?
– Poisonous chemical compounds produced by fungi in food
and food products including feeds.
– Aspergillus, Pennicilium and Fusarium species are major
producers
– They develop at any stage along the food chain i.e on
field, after harvest, during storage, processing.
– Toxic to humans and animals
Effects of Mycotoxins
S/N
Economy
Health
Human
Animals
1
Crop loss (25%)
Death
Death
2
GDP loss - Border reject
Liver cancer
Reduced feed intake
3
Product destruction
immunosuppression
Decreased body weight
4
Indirect loss from treatment of
health conditions
Stunted growth
Larger organ sizes
5
64% reduction in food quality
HBV, HIV Synergy
Respiratory disorders
6
Kwashiorkor and Reye’s syndrome
Buccal-oral ulceration
7
Associated to infertility
8
Table 1: RASSF MYCOTOXIN ALERTS BETWEEN 2004
AND 2014 FOR CONSIGNMENTS FROM NIGERIA
Type
Alert
Border Rejection
Information
Information For
Attention
Total
Occurrence
7
56
72
10
145
Product Type
Cereals And Bakery Products
Feed Materials
Fruits And Vegetables
Herbs And Spices
Occurrence
10
1
11
7
Nuts, Nut Products And Seeds
Other Food Product / Mixed
Pet Food
114
1
1
145
Factors Enhancing Mycotoxin
Challenges in Nigeria
– Tropical climate with an all year round high ambient temperature and relative
humidity (that provide optimal condition for the growth of toxigenic moulds)
– Traditional crop production practices
– Poorly developed infrastructures such as facilities for harvesting, processing,
storage and transportation, and skilled human resources
– Policy and institutional capacity
– Lack of awareness
Control Strategies in Plant
(CODEX strategies)
Pre-planting/planting control
strategies
– Practice of crop rotation
– Use of fungi free seeds
– Planting of fungi resistant varieties
– Application of biological control measures
– Ensuring proper crop timing
– Ensuring proper plant spacing
– Reduction of plant stress
Pre-Harvest Strategies
–Use of appropriate pesticide
–Effective weed control
–Minimising mechanical damage
–Proper harvest timing
–Good harvesting materials
Harvest Strategies
–Minimising contact of grain with the soil
and exposure to fungal spores
–Avoid harvesting grains with high moisture
–Transit time between farm and store
should be shortened
Pre- Storage Strategies
–Avoidance of high moisture grain storage
–Pre-cleaning of grains
–Avoidance of mechanical damage during storage
–Drying in clean spots
–Removal of damaged kernels and foreign
matters
Storage Strategies
– Storage in adequate facility
– De-contamination of storage facilities
– Determination of moisture content of the lot
– Ensuring recurring monitoring of physical conditions
– Minimising pests and contaminants
– The use of suitable and approved preservative
– Record keeping
Transport from Storage
–Ensuring the use of clean and disinfected
transport materials
–Minimising moisture and temperature
fluctuations
–Avoidance of pests and contaminants during
shipment
Processing and Cleaning after
Storage
– Removal of contaminated grains
– Screening for Mycotoxins
– Select milling method
– Store milled grains under appropriate conditions
– Ensure use of pure starter culture for products to be
fermented
– Steeping should be carried out in weather proof containers
Detoxification Strategies
– Adsorbing agents/ Binders
– Examples of such agents include: aluminosilicates (bentonites,
montmorillonites, smectites, kaolinites, illites and zeolites), activated
carbons, yeast cell walls, micronized fibers, lactic acid bacteria, and some
polymers e.g. cholestyramine
– Biotransforming agents
– Mycotoxins can be deactivated or degraded by use of bacteria/fungi or
enzymes, Antioxidant agents, immunostimulatory agents do not directly
interact with mycotoxins
Types of Regulatory Guidance
– Advisory Levels: provide guidance to the industry concerning levels of a substance present in
food or feed that provide an adequate margin of safety to protect human and animal health.
Enforcement is not the fundamental purpose of an advisory level.
– Action Levels: specify a precise level of contamination at which the agency is prepared to
take regulatory action. Supported by scientific data to support regulatory and/or court
action.
– Regulatory Limits: issued for the presence of contaminants that have been established after
issuing valid regulations under the public notice-and-comment rulemaking procedures.
Generally, courts will find a per se violation of the law if the regulatory limits in the
regulations are exceeded.
Types of Food Safety Inspections
– For Cause: Pertain to public health concerns or animal illness and/or
death
– Surveillance: Conducted to evaluate compliance with applicable
regulations
– Compliance: Performed because FDA has information that suggests
problems may or do exist at a facility
– Criminal: Conducted when information suggests that serious willful
and/or egregious violations of applicable requirements are occurring
within a facility
Factors that Influences and Affects
Regulations
– Availability of toxicological data; including exposure data;
– Availability of data on the occurrence of mycotoxins in
various commodities
– Knowledge of the distribution of mycotoxin concentrations
Availability of analytical methods
– Legislation in countries with which trade contacts exist; and
– Need for sufficient food supply.
Conclusion
– Deliberate effort at the control of mycotoxin
contamination at all stages of food/feed value chain from
farm to fork is best recommended.
– Enlightenment of farmers, transporters and processors,
traders and consumers will create significant impact in
controlling the menace