Nicole McPadden
14540587
Mycotoxins in cereals
Introduction:
My project covers the topic of ‘Mycotoxins in Cereals’. Mycotoxins, caused by fungi which infect cereals crops and products both while growing and in storage, pose a serious risk to those; animals and humans who consume them. Mycotoxins are a massive threat to the health of those who consume them and so must be closely monitored by cereal producers and the food industry as a whole.
As mycotoxins can be located at every stage of the food chain, it is important to know that they act as an accumulative poison by which levels gradually build up in the body, with the effects showing later in an adverse manner.
This project takes a more in-depth look into what mycotoxins actually
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Research has shown that the consumption of high levels of mycotoxins over a long period of time can make these health effects more adverse. The most toxic mycotoxin known is Aflatoxin B1. Not only can Aflatoxin B1 be genotoxic; meaning it can damage the DNA of the plant, but is also an acumulative poison; meaning a high consumption by humans over a period of time can build up and has been shown to cause cancer. Humans are exposed to aflatoxins when consuming animal products; meat and dairy that were polluted as a result of animals eating feed containing …show more content…
Currently these levels are very low - far below the EU guidance levels which are now in place. However, there may be year-to-year and region-to-region variation depending on weather conditions. High temperatures and humidity encourage the growth of moulds during both production and storage, and therefore increase the development of mycotoxins. Husbandry practices also contribute to an increased risk of mycotoxins, e.g. rotations including maize. Contaminated grains result in increased costs for handlers and distributors due to extra drying costs, excess storage capacity, losses in transit, loss in markets. Around 25% of cereals can be effected by mycotoxins.
Mycotoxins can appear in the food chain as a result by being eaten directly by humans or by being used as livestock feed. Mycotoxins greatly resist decomposition or being broken down in digestion, so they remain in the food chain in meat and dairy products. Even temperature treatments, such as cooking and freezing, do not destroy some mycotoxins.
Regulations for cereal
Perhaps the prominent regulation that most everyone is familiar with, is the listing of required nutritional facts about what the product contains. Just navigating the regulations in this environment is often not enough though, companies should be proactive in dealing with possible changes, potentially staving them off in the long run, which is part of the reason that Dr Pepper undertakes so many healthy living initiatives, along with Coke and Pepsi, to encourage consumers to make better decisions, and maybe buy diet product, rather than the company have to comply with the costs of reconfiguring its labels, in a manner that was proposed by the FDA in 2014, which would have required actual column nutritional facts label. In part due to the soda companies efforts, this initiative seems to have lost initiative for the time being. This is likely due to the fact that Dr Pepper does not operate, for the most part, beyond the United
Winnable Battle- Safe Food Objectives: Approximately 1 of 6 people in America get sick from eating contaminated food. Some people recover and few others may suffer from complication such as kidney failure, miscarriage or brain and nerve damage (10 Colorado winnable battles). In Colorado, there is at least 41% of foodborne outbreaks report and investigation each year. This is an enormous number that underscores the need for vigilance and highlights the importance of the food safety programs to identify foodborne illnesses (10 Colorado winnable battles).
Long term arsenic exposure can lead to cancer of the
Other human carcinogens include asbestos, hexavalent chromium, aflatoxins and vinyl chloride. Carcinogens can increase the risk of cancer by changing cellular metabolism or damaging DNA directly in cells, which interferes with biological processes, and induces the uncontrolled, malignant division,eventually leading to the formation of tumors. Usually, severe DNA damage leads to apoptosis, but if the programmed cell death pathway is damaged, then the cell cannot prevent itself from becoming a cancer
In the book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Pollan shows us his view about the corn. Corn is a crop, which is highly using today, and there are many products including the ingredients of corn. However, Pollan’s point is trying to help people to notice what they are eating. In the views of economic, corn is an essential factor, which has reshaped American culture, and it turns people into an industrial eaters.
Court records indicated that 226 plant workers became ill” (828). This quote from the doctors who observed the plant employees proves that Monsanto made chemicals not safe for human environments. By using this quote, the authors are able to uncover Monsanto’s past fabrication of harmful substances. It demonstrates how Monsanto was willing to create and sell chemicals that are known
By doing this some of the consumers can be easy to catch a new disease or get even sickly with the pesticide and
Another common misconception is that the pesticides used in organic farming are safer, just because they are natural. That is not necessarily true. When compared to other naturally occurring pesticides, the residues of synthetic pesticides were shown to have lower levels of cancer promoting substances called
The operations of Monsanto walk a fine line between pure product focus and moral obligation. Although not as fierce in the United States, world hunger is an enormous feat to overcome and only continues to grow as the world population increases. The core focus and positioning of Monsanto is imperative to its long-term success. The worldwide goal of farming is to produce the largest yield while inflicting the least amount of damage to the environment (Langreth & Herper, 2010).
Background of Kellogg’s Founded in 1906 by W.K. Kellogg as the “Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company”, where the Irish families favourite Kellogg’s Corn Flakes were created. In 1915 Kellogg’s were the first cereal company to introduce a high fibre cereal into the market this was of course Kellogg’s Bran Flakes, Creating All Bran the following year. Kellogg’s first arrived in Ireland in 1922 and their products were sold in supermarkets across the country. The following year they became the first company in the food industry to hire a dietician. Decade’s later Kellogg’s introduced a range of new products to “delight Ireland’s shoppers” these products included one of the nation’s favourites “Crunchy Nut Cornflakes”.
Pesticides likewise are utilized to execute life forms that can result in infections. Most pesticides contain chemicals that can be destructive to
being used in the traditional foods, but not in organics, but then those chemicals used in the traditional foods are said to be safe for human health. People are beginning to realize as the demand for food has increased with the population growth, so has the use of chemicals fertilizers antibiotics and hormones by farmers and livestock growers. The consumption of produce and meat, grown with the use of these means has led to the increase more diseases and cancers. People are beginning to believe that the only way to have a healthy
In order for a business to find out their customers interests and thoughts about their business, they carry out the appropriate marketing research to ensure that the business has 100% customer satisfaction. In relation to Kellogg’s, they have carried out a number of market research, which has ultimately led them to becoming the leading cereal brand. The company has developed a range of products for the segments within this market, targeted at all age groups over three years old. This includes 39 brands of cereals as well as different types of cereal bars. Consumers of cereal products perceive Kellogg 's to be a high quality manufacturer.
This impact can be reduced by the company by putting more efforts and investment in development and research to improve and eliminate the side effects of their products without much damaging the environment (Monsanto, 2018). Furthermore, Monsanto can employ a team to regularly check whether the negative effects are still being possessed by their products and if it so then the authorities can be alarmed about this and suitable actions can be taken against this
Most Americans in contemporary society run on an automatic default setting, not bothering to question what they attest to on an everyday basis. A monotonous routine sets in that transcends into future generations. In this current fast paced way of life it’s not difficult to fall into the trap of the unregulated food industry. The least of many concerns is to worry about a couple of unpronounceable words on the back of the cereal box one has for breakfast each morning. Many of these ingredients and their derivatives are unknown to the common shopper.