Where is the poison
"Tests [of whey protein concentrate] revealed the possible presence of clostridium botulinum, which produces botulinum toxin, in one sample," fonterra said in a statement. As the whey protein powder was further used to make milk powder and other products, people called it "poisonous milk powder".
Clostridium botulinum, also known as Clostridium botulinum, is harmless by itself, but the toxin it produces in an anaerobic environment is so toxic that it can kill a person with less than 1 microgram. Medical experts pointed out that its poisoning symptoms are mainly nervous system symptoms, performance for blurred vision, dilated pupils, language disorders, dizziness, breathing difficulties and muscle weakness, severe cases of paralysis.
The test of hygiene significance for food is the detection of botulinum toxin. If only botulinum toxin is detected but no botulinum toxin is detected, the food will not be proved to cause botulinum toxin poisoning. In adults, the body metabolizes botox naturally if it consumes only a small amount of it.
How to disinfect
The production of botulinum toxin requires certain conditions. The optimal temperature for botulinum toxin production and growth is 18 to 30 degrees Celsius. If the environment is too cold or too hot, at temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius or above 55 degrees Celsius, it cannot reproduce or produce toxins; If the environment is too acidic or too alkaline, it will not reproduce and produce toxins at a PH below 4.5 or greater than 9.0.
Botox is extremely heat-resistant and can be destroyed by heating it for 30 minutes, usually between 75 and 85 degrees Celsius, or 10 minutes at 100 degrees Celsius.
Therefore, if the relevant whey protein powder is subjected to high temperatures during further processing, it may provide some disinfecting effect. Coca-Cola, for example, which used the whey protein powder to make the drink, says the product is safe because of the ultra-high temperature sterilization process and the weak acid inhibition of the drink.
What is the hidden trouble
But there is concern that the products may also contain botox spores. Spore is a resting body formed by highly concentrated dehydration of some bacteria under certain conditions. It is highly resistant to high temperature, low temperature, drying and other adverse environments. The vegetative cells of some bacteria die in just 10 minutes at 70 to 80 degrees Celsius, but their spores can survive for several hours at 120 to 140 degrees Celsius.
Fang Zhouzi, a well-known science popularizer, pointed out on his microblog that ordinary household disinfection equipment can kill botox and botulinum toxin, but not botox spore. To kill the botox spores, it takes half an hour to cook at 120 degrees Celsius under high pressure.
Botulinum toxin may also be present in powdered milk if spores are present. Compared with adults, infants and young children face greater threats. On the one hand, infants are the main consumers of milk powder; on the other hand, their intestinal environment is not yet fully developed, and they are prone to botulinum toxin poisoning caused by ingestion of botulinum spore. So, to be on the safe side, people should avoid products like milk powder associated with the botox whey protein powder.
