MSGID: 1:317/3 62735321   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Will climate change increase the risk of aflatoxin in U.S. corn?    
      
     Date:   
         May 4, 2022   
     Source:   
         Michigan State University   
     Summary:   
         As climate change continues to alter weather patterns around the   
         planet including the Midwest, researchers are modeling the impact   
         on crops such as corn.   
      
      
      
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   As climate change continues to alter weather patterns around the planet   
   including the Midwest, researchers at Michigan State University are   
   modeling the impact on crops such as corn.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   "The United States is the largest exporter and donor of field corn around   
   the world," said Felicia Wu, a John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor   
   and an international expert on food safety in the Department of Food   
   Science and Human Nutrition and the Department of Agricultural, Food, and   
   Resource Economics in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at   
   MSU. "Here in the U.S., we consume field corn in the form of corn chips,   
   corn flakes, corn grits and corn tortillas; as opposed to sweet corn,   
   which is frozen, canned and eaten off the cob. Field corn is also used for   
   animal feed and for ethanol production."  The fungi Aspergillus flavus   
   and Aspergillus parasiticus produce aflatoxin which can infect peanuts,   
   tree nuts and corn. Aflatoxin not only degrades corn quality but can   
   also cause health problems for humans and animals depending on the amount   
   and length of time it is ingested. While aflatoxin contamination occurs   
   annually in the southern United States because of the hot and dry climate,   
   it has rarely been a serious problem in the Corn Belt region of the U.S.   
      
   "When we ran our near-term climate model scenarios, we found that   
   between 2031- 2040, aflatoxin is going to become more of a problem   
   in the U.S. Corn Belt in the Midwest," Wu said. "The last time there   
   was a serious problem was in 2012 when we had an unusually hot and dry   
   summer throughout the Midwest; particularly Iowa, Illinois and Indiana."   
   Wu's research was published April 5, 2022 in the journal Environmental   
   Research Letters. Co-authors on the paper include her former doctoral   
   student Jina Yu (Hong Kong Baptist University), David Hennessy (Iowa   
   State University) and Jesse Tack (Kansas State University).   
      
   Hot and dry conditions encourage fungi spores to be airborne which   
   increases their chances of contaminating crops. Water helps plants   
   withstand stress that makes them vulnerable to harmful fungi. Steps   
   growers, grain elevators and processors can take to reduce the risk   
   of aflatoxin contamination include storing corn harvests in cool, dry   
   conditions and keeping crops irrigated to the extent possible given   
   declining water tables.   
      
   Researchers are already using both biotechnological and conventional   
   breeding techniques to develop hybrid crops that can withstand drought,   
   insect damage and fungal infections. In many parts of the world, corn   
   growers are using biocontrol to reduce aflatoxin. Biocontrol infects   
   plants with Aspergillus fungi which is unable to produce aflatoxin because   
   this these fungi competitively exclude the fungi that produce aflatoxin.   
      
   Another possibility shifts crop production further north or further   
   south geographically where the climate is cooler or wetter to reduce   
   aflatoxin risk.   
      
   That, however, impacts farms that have been passed down for generations.   
      
   For consumers concerned about eating field corn and their aflatoxin   
   risk, Wu suggests eating your greens and garlic. "Green leafy vegetables   
   are good for your overall health," Wu said. "Chlorophyll has a sandwich   
   molecular structure that traps aflatoxin molecules so that humans excrete   
   them before the toxin can enter our bloodstream."  Also, cruciferous   
   vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, kale and allium vegetables like   
   garlic, onions and leeks can help detoxify carcinogens in our bodies.   
      
   "We predict seeing an increase in aflatoxin problems over the next 10-20   
   years," Wu said. "So, we need to rely on technologies and a whole suite   
   of interventions that can reduce the problem."   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by Michigan_State_University. Original   
   written by Emilie Lorditch. Note: Content may be edited for style   
   and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Jina Yu, David A Hennessy, Jesse Tack, Felicia Wu. Climate   
      change will   
         increase aflatoxin presence in US Corn. Environmental Research   
         Letters, 2022; 17 (5): 054017 DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac6435   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220504151226.htm   
      
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