New tests keep poisons out of food—and off the table. Validated RNRRS Output.
Abstract
This is one of 280 summaries describing key outputs from the projects run by DFID's 10-year Renewable Natural Resources Research Strategy (RNRRS) programmes.
Associated with Projects R5898, R6125, R6127 and R6091. A simple and affordable diagnostic tool is allowing food companies to measure the mycotoxin content of their foods. Mycotoxins are highly poisonous compounds produced by certain moulds that grow on a wide variety of foods and feeds. When eaten, they can cause disease and even death in livestock and people. Mycotoxin ingestion causes about 250,000 deaths a year in parts of sub- Saharan Africa. In cereals, edible nuts and oilseeds, the distribution of mycotoxins is highly localised. The new technology addresses this problem, zeroing in on infested areas accurately. This will have a major impact on food safety and productivity, significantly reducing the costs of testing. What is more important, it is available to all players, including people in developing countries with limited resources.
The CD has the following information for this output: Description, Validation, Current Situation, Environmental Impact. Attached PDF (9 pp.) taken from the CD.
Citation
CPH17, New technologies, new processes, new policies: tried-and-tested and ready-to-use results from DFID-funded research, Research Into Use Programme, Aylesford, Kent, UK, ISBN 978-0-9552595-6-2, p 99.