Nuts land on many plates during Christmas.
Bitter specimens should definitely not be eaten, experts warn.
There is a risk of cancer.
Nuts
are
a popular snack
, especially during
Christmas
.
However, bitter specimens should not be eaten.
Among other things, there is a
risk of cancer
.
Kassel - In addition to gingerbread and mandarins,
nuts
are also
particularly popular
during
Christmas
.
The Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) is now warning that nuts
can be contaminated
with
molds
and their
poisons
(mycotoxins).
Popular snack during Christmas: Experts have discovered poison in nuts
In 2019, the Federal Office took a
closer look at
410 samples of
almonds
(whole and ground),
walnuts
and
pistachios
.
The result: The poison
aflatoxin
was discovered in the following nuts:
In 10 percent of the pistachios.
In 68 percent of the ground almonds.
In 3 percent of the whole almonds.
The experts also
detected
the
poison
ochratoxin A in ten percent of the ground and two percent of the whole
almonds
.
Bitter nuts: Experts evaluated several warning messages before Christmas
The Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) suspects the reason for this clear difference between whole and ground almond nuts “that the larger surface area of the ground product
offers more opportunities
for
mold
to enter
”.
In addition, the risk increases with increasing storage time.
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The experts evaluated
various warning messages
before
Christmas
.
In 2019, worrying levels of aflatoxins were found in nuts 48 times.
The majority of the
contaminated nuts have
already been rejected at the EU border.
Nevertheless, 14 percent of the products made it onto the EU internal market - mainly
pistachios
and
peanuts
.
Christmas: Poison in nuts can promote the development of cancer
According to experts, mycotoxins pose a significant health risk. The
toxins
could, among other things, promote the
development of cancer
.
They can also damage the kidneys and liver, impair the immune system and
cause gastrointestinal problems
.
Mold toxins are particularly dangerous.
The reason: They are odorless and not visible.
So the
attack on the
nuts
cannot be seen at first glance.
Mycotoxins are not destroyed by high temperatures.
Cooking, roasting and baking can
not harm the poison
.
Bitter nuts: Great care should be taken during Christmas too
This is why
great caution is advised
, especially during
Christmas
.
Consumers should be
very careful
with
nuts
that are visibly affected by mold or have deviating sensory properties.
If nuts
taste
atypical, musty or even
bitter
, they should be spit out immediately and not swallowed, warns the Federal Office.
In some cases, however, mold is also visible.
Consumers generally recognize it as a
whitish-gray coating
on nut kernels and shells
.
It can be furry or fluffy with tiny hairs.
(Jan Wendt)
Walnuts, hazelnuts and Co.: You have to pay attention to this before eating - then the nuts will keep fresher longer.
You should also be careful with walnuts - in some cases they can be toxic
