Food Toxicants - NIMEnimecoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/FOOD... · · 2015-12-08National Institute of Medical Education 8699014009, 9814614009 PSM Notes By Dr. Mukhmohit

National Institute of Medical Education 8699014009, 9814614009

PSM Notes By Dr. Mukhmohit Singh 1

Food Toxicants

Dr. Mukhmohit Singh

MBBS, MD, PG Dip (diabetes), MIPHA, MIAPSM

ERS 2012 Gold Sp awardee (COPD)

Administrator NIME

Food ToxicantsDefinition:-

Examples:-

�Neurolathyrism

�Aflatoxins

�Ergot

�Epidemic Dropsy

�Endemic Ascites

�Fusarium Toxins



Neurolathyrism

�Caused by Beta oxalyl amino alanine toxin.

�Toxin found in Lathyrus Savitus (Khesari Dal).

�L. Savitus is good source of proteins but its toxin

affects the nerves severely .

�As it is cheap, it is eaten mostly by poor agriculture

labourer i.e lower class societies are mostly affected.

�The disease mainly affect young men b/w the age of

15 to 45.

� It manifests itself in the following stages:-

1. Latent Stage:-

� Individual is apparently healthy but when subjected to

physical stress exhibits ungainly gait.

� If pulse is withdrawn, it will show complete remission of

the disease.

2. No-Stick Stage:-

� The patient walks with jerky steps without the aid of the

stick.

� Large number of patients are found to be in this stage



3. Two-stick Stage:-

� The patient walks with a crossed gait with a tendency to

walk on toes.

� Muscular stiffness makes it necessary to use a stick.

4) Crawler Stage:-

� The erect posture becomes impossible as knee joints

cannot support the wait.

� There is atrophy of the thigh and leg muscle.

� The patient is reduced to crawling by throwing weight on

his hands.

� Possible Interventions and control are as follows:-

i. Vitamin C Prophylaxis

ii. Banning the Crop

� Removal of Toxin:-

i. Steeping Method:- done by soaking the pulse in

hot water.

ii. Parboiling:- Large scale method by soaking in

lime water over the night followed by boiling to

destroy the toxin.

iii. Education.

iv. Genetic Approach.



Aflatoxin

�Group of carcinogenic myotoxins produced by fungi

Aspergillus Flavus & A.Parasiticus.

� Infests food grains such as groundnut, maize,

parbolied rice, sorghum, wheat, rice cotton.

�Produce potent B1 & G1 hepatoxins.

�Aflatoxins are detected in sample of breast milk and

urine of children suffering from infantile cirrhosis.

Control and prevention:-

�Prevention of fungal contamination by proper storage

after drying.

�Moisture content to be kept below 10%.

�Contaminated food is not to be consumed.

�To educate local population about the health hazards

of consuming contaminated food grains.



Ergot� Is not a storage fungus, but a field fungus caused by Claviceps

Fusiformis.

� Infests bajra, Rye, sorghum and wheat.

� Symptoms are acute and rarely fatal including nausea, repeated vomiting, giddiness & drowsiness extending upto 24 to 48 hrs.

� In chronic cases, painful cramps in the limb and peripheral gangrene due to vasoconstriction are repeated.

� Control and prevention:-

• Removed by floating in 20 % salt Solution.

• Can be removed by hand picking or air flotation.

Epidemic dropsy

�Caused by contamination of mustard oil with

argemone oil.

�Argemone oil contains toxic alkaloid,

Sanguinarine which interferes with oxidation of

pyruvic acid leading to its accumulation in the

blood.

�Symptoms consists of sudden, non-inflammatory,

bilateral swelling of legs, often associated with

diarrhoea.

�Glaucoma, dyspnoea, cardiac failure & deaths

have been reported.



Prevention

• By removing argemone weeds growing among oil seed crops.

• By strict administration of prevention of food adulteration act among unscrupulous dealers.

Endemic Ascites�Main cause is due to contamination of the

millet Panicum miliare (Gondhli) with weeds of Crotalaria (Jhunjhunia).

�Jhunjhunia seeds were found to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloid which are Hepatotoxins.

�Preventing measures comprising educating the people in the affected areas and removal of Jhunjhunia seeds which are smaller than millets.



Fusarium Toxins

�Fusarium species of field fungi Fusarium incamatum

are known to contaminate food crops and pose severe

health hazards to live stock and man.

�Fusarium contamination of sorghum is said to be on

increase.

�Rice is also known as a good substrate for Fusarium.

�National Institute of nutrition is now working to

isolate and identify toxic metabolites produced by it.

Buff Cow Human

ENERGY 117 67 65

FAT 6.5 4.1 3.4

PROTEIN 4.3 3.2 1.1

Ca 210 120 28

LACTOSE 5.1 4.4 4.4

High yield for milk nutritive values

Documents

Food Toxicants - NIMEnimecoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/FOOD... · · 2015-12-08National Institute of Medical Education 8699014009, 9814614009 PSM Notes By Dr. Mukhmohit