ZEARALENONE

About: 

• Zearalenone is a fungal toxin infesting cereals such as wheat, maize and barley. It attacks crops while they are growing, but can also develop when cereals are stored without being dried fully. 
  
  
• Health concern: 
  • In zearalenone’s case, there is no strong evidence of toxicity in humans so far, though several research groups are investigating. 
    
    
  • As a result, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies it as a Group 3 carcinogen, which means evidence is not sufficient for an evaluation yet. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Regulation in India: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) does not impose maximum limits for zearalenone, though the European Union (EU) does. 
  
  

Recent Study: 

• This month, researchers from Lucknow’s Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR) published a study in the Journal of Food Science on presence of zearalenone in Uttar Pradesh markets. 
  
  
• Findings: Zearalenone has been detected in wheat, rice, corn and oats from markets in Uttar Pradesh. The substance was found in 70 of the 117 samples tested. 24 of the U.P. samples exceeded the EU regulatory limits of 100-200 mcg/kg of cereals. 
  
  
• Recommendation: India should set limits on zearalenone in cereals. 
  
  
• Significance: While numerous studies document this toxin in cereals across the world, no data existed for India until now.