Blocking growth stunting toxins in food
i.new IITA
 The maize on the left
of the image to the right is contaminated by aflatoxins. Clean, healthy maize is
on the right.
Harmless competitors used to block growth-stunting toxins from food may help
children in West Africa grow up healthier, and IITA researchers are working
toward a way to make it happen.
They found a less toxic strain of a fungus that grows on grain stored in warm,
humid conditions. It can displace harmful strains that produce large amounts of
aflatoxins— toxic chemicals known to cause liver cancer and, through IITA
research, recently shown to be associated with below-average height and weight
among West African children.
This innovative technique is called competitive exclusion. It’s in large-scale
testing for cotton in the US, but it has never been used in Africa. In early
December, the German development agency BMZ committed 1.2 million Euro to a
3-year project to develop a biological control for aflatoxin in West Africa.
The idea is to keep out the fungal strain that produces aflatoxins by
introducing and establishing a strain that doesn’t produce toxins. IITA
scientists have started identifying safer strains that can be tested further as
a promising means to lessen aflatoxins in maize, which is a staple food for
African families.
“This biological control approach offers great promise to produce safer food,
and we are working towards making it a reality,” said IITA plant pathologist
Dr. Ranajit Bandyopadhyay.
People in the region don’t see the effects of aflatoxins on their crops and
health because they aren’t immediate. But that’s changing. In 2001, the EU
lowered its limit on aflatoxin levels in crops for import to 4 parts per
billion, which is well below the currently-accepted safe limit of 20 parts per
billion. The World Bank estimates this policy change will cost African countries
about US$670 million in trade per year. This means work by IITA researchers to
reduce aflatoxin contamination can make a significant contribution to family
incomes and the health of millions of African children.
More Information:
I.new, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, IITA. www.iita.org
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