http://biz.yahoo.com/rm/021220/food_corn_toxin_1.html
I wonder how they'll use some of it if it is deemed unfit for human consumption. Looks like they'll feed some of it to animals. I wonder if it can be used to make fuel. Reuters U.S. farmers form task force to fight corn toxins Friday December 20, 5:24 pm ET CHICAGO, Dec 20 (Reuters) - U.S. farmers have formed a task force to limit toxins in future corn crops after the worst outbreak of aflatoxin since 1988, an industry official said Friday. "Our overall goal is to minimize the major mycotoxins (from corn) and we're going to be looking at that through a bunch of different avenues including hybrid research," said Paul Bertels, a grain quality specialist with the National Corn Growers Association. ADVERTISEMENT The task force will find ways to fund research into corn varieties resistant to toxins. It will also develop better sampling techniques at country elevators, Bertels told Reuters. The move comes after the highest levels of aflatoxin in 14 years were found in the U.S. Midwest corn crop after this summer's drought. Aflatoxin, a cancer-causing toxin found in moldy corn, can cause cancer in humans if consumed at high levels and can be deadly to young animals if they consume large amounts. It is usually found in the southern parts of the Corn Belt, especially Texas, where the crop often comes under heat stress. But this year's heat wave that plagued the heart of the Corn Belt in July and August put the Midwest crop at high risk for aflatoxin. High levels of aflatoxin were found not only in Texas and Nebraska but as far north as northern Illinois. The group will also seek to eliminate another corn mold, fumonisin, a fungus and cancer-causing substance that is also linked to human birth defects. Fumonisin is much more widespread than aflatoxin across the Midwest, thriving under heat and humid conditions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has set aflatoxin limits for food consumption at 20 parts per billion. The maximum tolerance for livestock feed has been established at 300 parts per billion. FDA recommends fumonisin in food to be under five parts per million and under 100 parts per million in livestock feed. Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
