A woman's lungs were covered with fungi after she came into contact with moldy corn. It is more toxic than arsenic. Beware of 4 types of food.

Recently, #woman's lungs were covered with fungi after touching moldy corn# became a hot search. According to the woman's recollection, she was mainly responsible for collecting the dried corn into bags, and some of the corn might have been moldy due to rain, but she did not take any protective measures.

The doctor diagnosed that her lungs were full of Aspergillus flavus, causing a fungal infection.

▲Photo: Sina Weibo

Aflatoxin is one of the invisible killers in food. Many people don’t know much about it, but in fact it is lurking around you.

1. How toxic is aflatoxin?

If you ask how toxic aflatoxin is, it is truly an invisible killer!

Have you ever seen spy movies? They often hide poison in their teeth, which is potassium cyanide. If they are exposed, they will bite it and die. In the movie "On the Cliff", Chu Liang took potassium cyanide to cover Wang Yu's escape and to protect Zhou Yi.

▲Photo: Stills from "On the Cliff"

You think this is poisonous enough? No, no, no, aflatoxin is even more poisonous! Aflatoxin is 10 times more toxic than potassium cyanide and 68 times more toxic than arsenic. [1]

Moreover, aflatoxin has long been classified as a Class 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which means it is clearly carcinogenic to humans. Its carcinogenicity is 900 times that of butter yellow, 75 times that of dimethylnitrosamine, and 4 times that of 3,4-benzopyrene.

A serious aflatoxin poisoning incident occurred in India as early as 2011: [2]

In 1974, an acute aflatoxin poisoning incident occurred in western India. After residents ate moldy corn, nearly 400 people developed acute toxic hepatitis and more than 100 people died, which is enough to illustrate its strong toxicity.

Sometimes we may ingest aflatoxin without paying attention. Although it may not be fatal immediately, liver cancer may be getting closer to you.

Some people say: "Why not just cook it at high temperature? The mold will die!"

Don’t underestimate aflatoxin. Ordinary cooking temperatures are like taking a hot spring bath to aflatoxin. It cannot kill it at all! Aflatoxin will only break down at temperatures above 280°C.

2. Be wary of these four types of food: ① Nuts:

Have you ever had this experience: you cracked a melon seed with great anticipation, but it tasted rancid or even moldy and bitter? This is because the melon seed is moldy and may contain aflatoxin.

The correct way is not to eat a few more to suppress the taste, but to spit it out immediately and rinse your mouth. In addition to melon seeds, you should also be careful about nuts such as peanuts, walnuts, pecans, etc. When buying nuts, buy the original flavor, buy less at a time, and store them in a sealed and refrigerated place.

② Oil pressing:

In the minds of the older generation, peanut oil is the "most nutritious oil". Many families prepare peanuts to make peanut oil themselves, but this practice is not recommended.

The cooking oils sold in the market have all been refined and inspected before leaving the factory. From the selection of raw materials to the production process, they are strictly controlled and screened, so there is no need to worry about aflatoxin. However, the homemade oils are likely to have excessive aflatoxin. This is because sesame, peanuts, rapeseed, etc. are likely to deteriorate due to improper storage and be contaminated with aflatoxin.

③ Food:

If rice, corn and other grains are exposed to moisture and stored improperly, they can easily be contaminated by aflatoxin. Grains are something we eat every day, so if you find them moldy, don't eat them.

4. Beans:

If soybeans are not stored properly and get wet, they are also susceptible to aflatoxin. Contaminated soybeans are gray in color, which can be easily removed by rubbing with your hands, but there will still be an odor.

In addition to the above 4 types of food, the cutting boards and wooden chopsticks in the kitchen are easily overlooked.

Many families don't change their chopsticks once a year, and they are still used even when both ends turn black. Wooden cutting boards are also absorbent and easily get damp and moldy; wooden chopsticks have the same problem, and the color of the chopstick heads will darken over time, making mold difficult to detect.

Therefore, after washing the chopsticks, drain the water in time, and it is recommended to replace them every 3 months; the chopping board should be separated for raw and cooked food, and cleaned and dried in time.

Summary: Aflatoxin is not unfamiliar. It often lurks around us and is highly toxic. For food safety and health, moldy and smelly food must be discarded and not eaten.

Aflatoxin under the microscope

She looks pretty good.

▲Picture: Source: Internet

▲Picture: Source: Internet

References:

[1] Zhuang Zhenhong, Zhang Feng, Li Yanyun, et al. Research progress on the carcinogenic mechanism of aflatoxin[J]. Hubei Agricultural Sciences, 2011(08):20-23.

[2] Zhang Junyong, Xu Surong. Aflatoxin toxicity and detoxification measures[J]. Chinese Food and Nutrition, 2001, 000(005):47-48.