* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Netflix unveils Dallas immersive venue for fans of hit shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ – Houston Chronicle

    Step Inside Netflix’s New Dallas Immersive Experience Featuring Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stranger Things

    ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’: Civic Players bring ‘Young Frankenstein’ to life – Yahoo

    Civic Players Deliver a Hilarious and Unforgettable Performance of ‘Young Frankenstein

    ‘Wheel of Fortune’: Amputee Wins $60,000 After Breaking Incredible ‘Curse’ – Hastings Tribune

    Wheel of Fortune’ Amputee Breaks Incredible ‘Curse’ to Win $60,000!

    North Star Sports & Entertainment Network: Coming soon – KTTC News

    North Star Sports & Entertainment Network: Coming soon – KTTC News

    Safety concerns in Deep Ellum create apprehension as the entertainment district gains visitors – CBS News

    Safety Concerns Surge Amid Deep Ellum’s Booming Popularity and Growing Crowds

    Elisabeth Moss’ ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Emmy chances, by the numbers – Yahoo

    Elisabeth Moss’ ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Emmy chances, by the numbers – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Defense technology giant Northrop Grumman to host interviews in Iuka to fill technician roles – supertalk.fm

    Defense technology giant Northrop Grumman to host interviews in Iuka to fill technician roles – supertalk.fm

    China’s Military Introduces Mosquito-Sized Drones: A Game-Changing Surveillance Technology – Indian Defence Review

    China Unveils Mosquito-Sized Drones: Revolutionizing Surveillance Technology

    Marvell Technology Stock Rallies After AI Event Sparks Investor Optimism – Yahoo Finance

    Marvell Technology Stock Rallies After AI Event Sparks Investor Optimism – Yahoo Finance

    Promising Technology Stocks To Follow Today – June 22nd – MarketBeat

    Top Technology Stocks to Watch Today – June 22nd

    Technology Convergence Report 2025 – The World Economic Forum

    Technology Convergence Report 2025 – The World Economic Forum

    How AI can help make cities work better for residents – MIT Technology Review

    How AI can help make cities work better for residents – MIT Technology Review

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Netflix unveils Dallas immersive venue for fans of hit shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ – Houston Chronicle

    Step Inside Netflix’s New Dallas Immersive Experience Featuring Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stranger Things

    ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’: Civic Players bring ‘Young Frankenstein’ to life – Yahoo

    Civic Players Deliver a Hilarious and Unforgettable Performance of ‘Young Frankenstein

    ‘Wheel of Fortune’: Amputee Wins $60,000 After Breaking Incredible ‘Curse’ – Hastings Tribune

    Wheel of Fortune’ Amputee Breaks Incredible ‘Curse’ to Win $60,000!

    North Star Sports & Entertainment Network: Coming soon – KTTC News

    North Star Sports & Entertainment Network: Coming soon – KTTC News

    Safety concerns in Deep Ellum create apprehension as the entertainment district gains visitors – CBS News

    Safety Concerns Surge Amid Deep Ellum’s Booming Popularity and Growing Crowds

    Elisabeth Moss’ ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Emmy chances, by the numbers – Yahoo

    Elisabeth Moss’ ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Emmy chances, by the numbers – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Defense technology giant Northrop Grumman to host interviews in Iuka to fill technician roles – supertalk.fm

    Defense technology giant Northrop Grumman to host interviews in Iuka to fill technician roles – supertalk.fm

    China’s Military Introduces Mosquito-Sized Drones: A Game-Changing Surveillance Technology – Indian Defence Review

    China Unveils Mosquito-Sized Drones: Revolutionizing Surveillance Technology

    Marvell Technology Stock Rallies After AI Event Sparks Investor Optimism – Yahoo Finance

    Marvell Technology Stock Rallies After AI Event Sparks Investor Optimism – Yahoo Finance

    Promising Technology Stocks To Follow Today – June 22nd – MarketBeat

    Top Technology Stocks to Watch Today – June 22nd

    Technology Convergence Report 2025 – The World Economic Forum

    Technology Convergence Report 2025 – The World Economic Forum

    How AI can help make cities work better for residents – MIT Technology Review

    How AI can help make cities work better for residents – MIT Technology Review

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

Kenyan crop contamination outbreak inspires grad student to improve rice storage

July 16, 2024
in Science
Kenyan crop contamination outbreak inspires grad student to improve rice storage
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Kenyan crop contamination outbreak inspires grad student to improve rice storage

Faith Ouma, a native of Kenya, is a Ph.D. student in the food science department at the University of Arkansas working to improve the safety of ready-to-eat rice products. Her research was conducted through the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The food science department is part of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. Credit: U of A System Division of Agriculture, Paden Johnson

While half the global population relies on rice as a staple, about 15% of rice produced each year is contaminated by potentially fatal aflatoxins. Seeing this threaten lives in her home country of Kenya prompted a graduate research assistant to focus on eradicating the risk through safer storage methods.

Faith Ouma, a Ph.D. student in the food science department at the University of Arkansas, was the lead author of “Investigating safe storage conditions to mitigate aflatoxin contamination in rice.” It was published in the journal Food Control.

Ouma completed her undergraduate studies in biochemistry in Kenya before earning a master’s and pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Arkansas. Her study was conducted through the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The food science department is part of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

When exposed to poor storage conditions such as high temperatures and humidity, rice can become contaminated with fungi. Fungi can then produce naturally occurring toxic compounds called mycotoxins though researchers have yet to discover why they create the toxins.

Aflatoxins, a family of mycotoxins, are poisonous compounds that have been designated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as Group 1 carcinogens, meaning there is sufficient evidence they can cause cancer in humans. Aflatoxins also pose a greater risk to children by threatening their immune systems and growth.

“Aflatoxins in the U.S. are not much of a big problem because of development,” Ouma said. “But where I come from in Kenya, it is one of the hotspots. There was a time people died because they consumed corn contaminated with aflatoxins.”

According to research published in 2020 by the Journal of Young Investigators, in 2004, Kenya saw the most extreme aflatoxin outbreak in the world, which included 317 cases and 125 deaths.

Griffiths Atungulu, food science associate professor and director of the Arkansas Rice Processing Program, serves as Ouma’s adviser and co-author. Other co-authors included Kaushik Luthra, a food science postdoctoral fellow, and Abass Oduola, a former food science doctoral student.

The project is part of Ouma’s larger research objective on the safety of ready-to-eat rice products, such as instant rice, that she will maintain as she pursues her doctorate. For her rice safety research, she earned the first-place award from the Arkansas Association for Food Protection for her poster in the Interventions, Pre- and Post-Harvest division in 2022. She was also recognized as outstanding presenter at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting for her oral presentation the same year.

Aflatoxin contamination poses an even greater risk with products such as instant rice and rice cakes. Atungulu noted that a producer’s window for mitigating this risk is in the early stages of rice processing. In later processing to create products such as instant rice and rice cakes, even high temperatures reaching 200 degrees Celsius, or 392 degrees Fahrenheit, won’t eliminate aflatoxins once they are produced. Even if high temperatures were effective in destroying the aflatoxin, they would likely degrade nutritional quality.

“Once the toxin’s been formed, the grain becomes almost useless,” Atungulu said.

Investigating growth conditions

Researchers set out to understand how to prevent aflatoxin formation by measuring how temperature, humidity, storage time and moisture impacted the toxin’s growth.

Rice from a farm in Hazen was collected and divided into rough, brown and milled rice fractions. Rough rice is unprocessed and still has its hull, or hard protective covering, while brown rice does not. Milled rice has its hull and bran layers removed. Samples of each type of rice were then divided into autoclaved, or steam-sterilized, and non-autoclaved. All samples were inoculated with Aspergillus flavus, a type of fungus that produces aflatoxins, and the team then tracked aflatoxin levels.

“We were looking at what the environments are that would make these fungi feel so confident to start producing the toxin,” Atungulu said.

The researchers measured ergosterol, a substance in the fungus cell walls, and the quantity of Aflatoxin B1, a potent toxin linked to liver cancer and immune system suppression. Researchers found that temperature and relative humidity levels had the most significant impacts on fungal growth, and they had an even greater impact when present together. They also found that brown rice had notably high Aflatoxin B1 levels due to the fats in its bran, which can provide carbon for increased fungal growth and aflatoxin production.

Ouma’s study showed that proper rice storage conditions to reduce aflatoxin risk after harvest include a temperature below 20 degrees Celsius, or 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and relative humidity below 75%. While the research involved careful measurements of fungal and aflatoxin levels at various temperatures, humidity levels, and other parameters, Ouma said she hopes the impact of her work is twofold.

“As much as I want to publish data, I also want to come up with something that can help solve a real-world problem when I go back home,” Ouma said.

More information:
Faith Ouma et al, Investigating safe storage conditions to mitigate aflatoxin contamination in rice, Food Control (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2024.110529

Provided by
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

Citation:
Kenyan crop contamination outbreak inspires grad student to improve rice storage (2024, July 15)
retrieved 15 July 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2024-07-kenyan-crop-contamination-outbreak-grad.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Phys.org – https://phys.org/news/2024-07-kenyan-crop-contamination-outbreak-grad.html

Tags: contaminationKenyanscience
Previous Post

How a ‘social good’ firm is defined can impact its value creation and value capital

Next Post

Study: For small sellers, sometimes it pays to sell to Amazon—and sometimes not

Defense technology giant Northrop Grumman to host interviews in Iuka to fill technician roles – supertalk.fm

Defense technology giant Northrop Grumman to host interviews in Iuka to fill technician roles – supertalk.fm

June 25, 2025
Celtics reportedly trade Kristaps Porzingis to Hawks – FOX Sports

Celtics Make Bold Move, Trading Kristaps Porzingis to Hawks

June 25, 2025
April 7 – Ecology, Safeway, and Washington State University Partner to Feed Cougs Well – Washington State Department of Ecology (.gov)

April 7 – Ecology, Safeway, and Washington State University Partner to Feed Cougs Well – Washington State Department of Ecology (.gov)

June 24, 2025
Iranian missile strikes Israel’s ‘crown jewel of science’ – AP News

Iranian Missile Strikes Rock Israel’s ‘Crown Jewel of Science’ in Dramatic Assault

June 24, 2025
Drone footage reveals orcas using tools in a stunning first – CNN

Incredible Drone Footage Reveals Orcas Using Tools in the Wild for the First Time

June 24, 2025
Lifestyle Brand Life Time Takes 52K SF at PBC’s 10 Bryant Park – Commercial Observer

Lifestyle Brand Life Time Expands with New 52K SF Space at 10 Bryant Park

June 24, 2025
How to Watch Benfica vs Bayern München: Live Stream FIFA Club World Cup, TV Channel – Newsweek

How to Watch Benfica vs Bayern München Live: FIFA Club World Cup Streaming and TV Guide

June 24, 2025
Trump Policies Slam Brakes on NYC Economy – THE CITY – NYC News

How Trump’s Policies Put the Brakes on NYC’s Economic Growth

June 24, 2025
Main Line Health combines culinary creativity with healthy eating – 6abc Philadelphia

Main Line Health combines culinary creativity with healthy eating – 6abc Philadelphia

June 24, 2025
Sen. Murkowski on new memoir ‘Far From Home’ and adapting to Trump era politics – PBS

Sen. Murkowski on new memoir ‘Far From Home’ and adapting to Trump era politics – PBS

June 24, 2025

Categories

Archives

June 2025
MTWTFSS
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30 
« May    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (698)
  • Economy (715)
  • Entertainment (21,611)
  • General (15,546)
  • Health (9,754)
  • Lifestyle (720)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (717)
  • Politics (722)
  • Science (15,933)
  • Sports (21,212)
  • Technology (15,701)
  • World (695)

Recent News

Defense technology giant Northrop Grumman to host interviews in Iuka to fill technician roles – supertalk.fm

Defense technology giant Northrop Grumman to host interviews in Iuka to fill technician roles – supertalk.fm

June 25, 2025
Celtics reportedly trade Kristaps Porzingis to Hawks – FOX Sports

Celtics Make Bold Move, Trading Kristaps Porzingis to Hawks

June 25, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version