Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Local rice is high in aflatoxin: study
By Carlo P. Mallo
IF BROWN rice is the new fad as it is ideally healthier and has more nutrients and fiber than the polished white rice, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has its reservations, and the reason is aflatoxin.
A study of Dr. Anthony Sales, a mycotoxicologist of DOST, says the department is wary as aflatoxin, a poison produced by a fungus Aspergillus, is toxic and carcinogenic or cancer causing.
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The said fungus naturally resides in soil, decaying vegetables and grass. They colonize and contaminate grain before harvest or during storage, especially when handling of the harvest is not good and conditions are favorable to its formation.
Favorable conditions include high moisture content (at least 7 percent) and high temperature.
Crops frequently affected by aflatoxin include cereals (corn, rice, wheat), oilseeds (peanut, soybean, sunflower, cotton), spices (chile peppers, black pepper, coriander, turmeric, ginger), and tree nuts (almond, pistachio, walnut, coconut, brazil nut).
Rice is the staple of most Filipino families, but now it seems to pose a hazard to the health of the people due to the high presence of aflatoxins.
Dr. Sales will present the study in the Mindanao Conference on Emerging Issues on Food Safety on March 6 to 7 at the Grand Regal Hotel.
In Monday's Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao's Pizza Hut, Sales said the locally produced and sold rice had shown significant levels of aflatoxins compared to the rice imported from Vietnam and Thailand.
According to Sales, his study showed the levels of aflatoxins is much higher in locally produced brown rice than the white rice.
"Brown rice has a level of aflotoxins 10 times higher than the polished white rice," Sales said.
Sales said the problem is that aflatoxins accumulate over time and is not released by the body naturally. "Even if there is only .5 parts per billion, it will accumulate over time, especially that rice is a staple in the Filipino's diet," Sales said.
"In the worst case scenario, a person who consumes much rice with aflatoxins will develop chronic toxicity, which may result to liver cancer, if ingested, and lung cancer if inhaled," Sales added.
Although the government has long admitted and has taken action against the possible prevalence of aflatoxins in the agricultural produce, it has been limited to peanuts and on inputs to agricultural feeds.
"The Bureau of Foods and Drugs (Bfad) regulates and inspect regularly on the levels of aflatoxins in peanuts and peanut products, while the Department of Agriculture (DA) is focused on the aflatoxins on corn and other inputs in the feeds," Sales said.
Controlling levels of aflatoxin involves investment in knowledge on handling, as well as handling and storage equipment.
Sound agronomic practices, proper storage and drying, and sanitation of grain-handling equipment can help a lot in minimizing the proliferation of this toxin.
With the practice of drying rice along the highways and with not much attention on moisture levels and grains handling and storage, it is not surprising that aflatoxin levels are high in local rice.
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cebu. For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (March 4, 2008 issue)
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