Can you imagine a movie screening without popcorn?
2022-01-19, 07:18
As a rule, popcorn does not have a good reputation, as it often contains a high amount of fat, salt, or sugar. There have also been situations where it has been recalled from sale due to the detection of mycotoxins (toxic substances from mold) in a batch that are harmful to humans. Does popcorn actually have defects alone? Today is Popcorn Day, we will take up the topic!
Popcorn, or roasted corn, is a delicacy that people have known for many years. It is commercially available in various forms - salted, buttered, with caramel - ready to eat, to roast on its own or to prepare in the microwave. Due to its high fat content, it is not a product recommended for frequent consumption. In addition, it has a lot of calories!
However, popcorn, prepared on its own without fat, can be a low-calorie product. Devoid of harmful additives, which can be replaced, for example, with healthy herbs, it can even bring benefits - it will provide fiber and have antioxidant effects, provided, of course, that the grains are not contaminated with mycotoxins.
Unfortunately, in many regions of the country, unfavorable weather conditions did not allow the corn harvest to take place at the optimal time, which breeds an increased risk of mycotoxins. Mycotoxins can form both during the growing season of the plants and as a result of improper storage of the plants in silage, poorly protected in silos. Mycotoxins in corn are very dangerous to humans as well as livestock. Not only can they cause allergies, but they can be carcinogenic and, in the case of animals, reduce fertility. They will not be destroyed by cooking, frying or baking, so they can survive in products such as popcorn.
We believe that the BIOmesh solution we are currently working on will make it possible in the future to monitor the risk of storage mold in food products and allow consumers to identify mold-threatened food products early.
