Re: Peanut allergies, toxins, unsafe storage, health caution!

>> From my studies in indoor air quality, peanuts are the most frequent 
>> offendors and cause death more than any food product. Proper care in
the 
>> storage and manufacturing process led to the "Skippy Peanut Butter" 
>> incident.
>> Water from a leaking roof wetting the peanuts, and allowing the
>> toxins to form are to blame.
> Aflatoxin is usually only a problem when peanuts or maize are stored
> at very high temperatures - even the southern US doesn't often get
> hot enough, it mainly happens in West Africa. 
> So the hygiene lapses you list may be disgusting but may not be as
> significant as you think.

Further to that: toxins have NOTHING AT ALL to do with peanut allergy.

What causes peanut allergy is a protein which is a perfectly normal
constituent of the peanut.  For someone with peanut allergy, this
protein is much more dangerous than any fungal toxin; weight for
weight, it's about level with ricin or abrin, and about the only
thing that might be deadlier is anthrax s****es.

==== j a c k  at  c a m p i n . m e . u k  ===  <http://www.campin.me.uk>
====
Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739
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