Toxic food: a global challenge
What is afl atoxin?
… groundnuts
Afl atoxin can be found in …
Afl atoxin is an invisible, major threat to
health and food supplies. This naturally
occurring poison (mycotoxin)
is produced by a fungal
spores
mold (Aspergillus spp.).
No treatment is availa-
ble to destroy afl a-
toxin in contaminated
food crops.
… rice
… oilseeds
⅓
Maize is most vulnerable
to contamination
… chili
peppers
of the global popu-
lation relies on
maize as a food
staple. It is also the
main feed material
for livestock.
B
A
Afl atoxin B1 is the
most toxic.
… sorghum
… dried
fruit
C
500 million of the
poorest people in
sub-Saharan Africa,
Latin America, and
Asia are at risk of
chronic exposure to afl a-
toxins throughout their life-
times. Acute and chronic
exposure is more likely to
occur in developing countries
where less strict regulatory limits,
poor agricultural practices in food
handling and storage, malnutrition,
and disease are problems.
D
… milk (from dairy animals fed
with contaminated maize)
A LIVER CANCER
IN ADULTS B SUPPRESSION OF
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM C FOOD AND HUMAN BREAST
MILK CONTAMINATION D STUNTED GROWTH
IN CHILDREN
155,000 cases of liver cancer a year
are attributed to afl atoxin. The rate of
liver cancer in Africa is up to 60 times
higher than that of the United States. Chronic exposure to the poison weak-
ens immune systems in humans and
animals. It leads to nutrition-related
chronic diseases in adulthood. Children in countries that rely on a
maize-based diet are exposed to afl a-
toxin through the food they eat or as
infants through mother’s milk. Long-term exposure causes stunting
in children. Stunting goes beyond
impaired growth to include poor
cognitive and organ development.
LumoVision will help save lives and reduce food waste
Special cameras and sensors
enable LumoVision sorters to
reduce afl atoxin contamination
in maize by up to 90%
with a yield loss of less
than 5%*, while a
Microsoft cloud
solution helps the
processor to esti-
mate contamination
risk of the raw material to
maximize productivity.
* This result is based on using
the SORTEX A LumoVision sorter alone,
however, it would be one part of a cleaning workfl ow.
Grains
under ultraviolet light
LumoVision, using fl uorescence, detects
kojic acid in the maize. Kojic acid is also
produced by the Aspergillus fungi. It
glows a bright greenish-yellow
under UV light.
NORMAL
The good grains
glow blue
CONTAMINATED
The bad grains
glow bright
greenish-yellow
Sources: International Agency for Research on Cancer; Global Burden of Afl atoxin-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma; Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations;
Benedict Deefholts, Senior Research Engineer at Bühler. Infographic by: Daniel Röttele
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