The Aflatoxin M1 recently found in milk in China has now been found in cooking oil from three different companies in China.
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Category Archives: Mycotoxin
Aflatoxins in Pet Food – USA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted two dog food recall notices on its website Wednesday, including one dated Dec. 12 and an “updated” alert dated Dec. 14, more than two weeks ago.
Both recalls of dry dog food were the result of elevated levels of aflatoxin, caused by fungus on grains such as corn that in significant quantities can cause liver damage in pets. These recalls are apparently related to the Dec. 7 announcement by manufacturer Cargill Animal Nutrition that it was pulling dry dog food off the market because of excess amounts of aflatoxin.
Aflatoxin, which cannot exceed 20 parts per billion under FDA standards, has been found in levels above that in dog food produced at Cargill’s plant in LeCompte, LA and in Iams puppy food manufactured by Proctor and Gamble in Henderson, N.C. Advanced Animal Nutrition recalled its Dog Power food, also for elevated aflatoxins.
All the companies have said that, to date, no illnesses or adverse affects have been reported in connection with the recalled dog food, but did not explain why dog food was on the market for more than a year before it was tested for aflatoxins.
This may be of interest to producers of Pet Foods within the UK market.
Unregulated Mycotoxin – Ergot – 12% – Cereals
Ergot alkaloids are produced by the fungus Claviceps purpurea and related Claviceps species and can infect cereals such as rye. Although there are currently no maximum levels for ergot alkaloids in EU legislation, it has been demonstrated that they may exert various toxic effects in certain animals. The European Commission is currently in the process of publishing a Recommendation on monitoring for these toxins. Ergot alkaloids were detected in 12 (12%) of the samples with total concentrations ranging from 2 to 169 μg/kg. There are currently no maximum permitted levels for ergot alkaloids in food. The data from this survey has been submitted to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in advance of an opinion on the risks to human and animal health on the presence of ergot alkaloids in food and feed. The full report has details about other mycotoxins in food.
FSA -Mycotoxin Survey – Cereal Based Foods
The FSA have conducted a survey on Mycotoxins in cereal based foods.
This is the first year’s results from a four-year rolling surveillance programme.
The survey found that 97% of samples were below the legal limits for mycotoxins. Only 7 of the 220 samples analysed contained levels of mycotoxins above the legal limits. The Agency took immediate action to ensure any non-compliant products were withdrawn from the market.
Posted in Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Testing, Microbiology, Mycotoxin
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