{"id":23476,"date":"2024-05-08T12:04:34","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T10:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/?p=23476"},"modified":"2024-04-25T12:04:55","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T10:04:55","slug":"plant-based-alternatives-to-meat-be-careful-of-mycotoxins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/en\/plant-based-alternatives-to-meat-be-careful-of-mycotoxins\/","title":{"rendered":"Plant-based alternatives to meat, be careful of mycotoxins"},"content":{"rendered":"

Several international studies have highlighted potential health risks from mycotoxins in plant-based meat alternatives.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Plant-based meat substitutes<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> containing mycotoxins can be <\/span><\/span><\/span>toxic<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>. The science is in no doubt. Let’s start with Italy. A group of researchers from the <\/span><\/span><\/span>University of Parma<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> recently analysed the presence of <\/span><\/span><\/span>mycotoxins<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> in protein raw materials used to make plant-based meat substitutes, such as <\/span><\/span><\/span>legumes<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span><\/span>cereal gluten<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>. All the studies came to a worrying conclusion: when meat is replaced in the diet by these plant-based alternatives, there is a <\/span><\/span><\/span>high risk of developing some forms of cancer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> due to the high levels of certain <\/span><\/span><\/span>mycotoxins found in plant-based protein ingredients<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How a change in diet towards plant-based alternatives can pose serious health risks<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n

When it comes to <\/span><\/span><\/span>replacing meat with plant-based alternatives<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>, proponents of these products extol the supposed benefits without questioning the possible negative effects. For this reason, a series of <\/span><\/span><\/span>scientific studies<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> funded by the European Food Risk Assessment Fellowship Programme (<\/span><\/span><\/span>EU-FORA<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>) of the European Food Safety Authority (<\/span><\/span><\/span>EFSA<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>) proposed to assess the risks of switching from a <\/span><\/span><\/span>meat-based diet<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> to one containing plant-based imitations of meat. In all the studies in question, the <\/span><\/span><\/span>plant-based meat alternatives<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> analysed were found to be <\/span><\/span><\/span>contaminated with mycotoxins<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>. In this context, EFSA has published <\/span><\/span><\/span>a summary of the research<\/span><\/span><\/a> in the EFSA Journal, with a complete overview of <\/span><\/span><\/span>how a change in diet towards plant-based alternatives can pose serious health risks<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>, calculating estimates of the different types of <\/span><\/span><\/span>tumours<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> for the Italian population.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The research programme began with a <\/span><\/span><\/span>systematic review<\/span><\/span><\/a> to analyse the prevalence of <\/span><\/span><\/span>natural toxins<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> in Europe’s most common <\/span><\/span><\/span>plant-based<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> alternatives, providing insight into their presence and concentration in plant-based imitations of meat products. In particular, <\/span><\/span><\/span>mixtures of mycotoxins with dangerous toxic effects were found in several soy foods<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Three studies, one worrying situation<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

The first study<\/span><\/span><\/a> of the <\/span><\/span><\/span>research programme<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> aims to fill the gaps on this topic by <\/span><\/span><\/span>assessing the risk of replacing meat with plant-based alternatives in terms of exposure to mycotoxins<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>. The researchers, therefore, considered a <\/span><\/span><\/span>complete replacement of meat consumption with soy-based imitations<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> of meat products, and the <\/span><\/span><\/span>exposure to aflatoxin B1<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>, a potent <\/span><\/span><\/span>liver carcinogen<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>, and <\/span><\/span><\/span>ochratoxin A<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>, with its <\/span><\/span><\/span>nephrotoxic activity<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>, was assessed. The results showed a <\/span><\/span><\/span>worrying<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> situation: <\/span><\/span><\/span>the total replacement of meat with soy in the diet resulted in a high <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>presence of aflatoxin B1, with a<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/b>consequent<\/span><\/span><\/span> increase in the risk of liver cancer and potential risk of kidney cancer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>, with a loss of 12,080 years of healthy life per country.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mixtures of #mycotoxins with toxic effects have been found in various #PlantBased foods based on #soy: a high presence of #aflatoxin B1. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The second study<\/span><\/span><\/a>, carried out by the same authors as part of the project, analysed 13 samples of <\/span><\/span><\/span>imitation of meat products based on soy, peas, chickpeas, lupins and seitan<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> using a <\/span><\/span><\/span>multi-mycotoxins method<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>. In this way, the exposure of Italian consumers to all types of mycotoxins, such as <\/span><\/span><\/span>aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, fumonisins and zearalenone<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>, was assessed. <\/span><\/span><\/span>All the samples were found to be contaminated with one or more mycotoxins<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>, and simulating a total replacement of meat by these products resulted in a <\/span><\/span><\/span>very high-risk exposure<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>, with serious health problems such as <\/span><\/span><\/span>impaired liver function and kidney cancer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>. Therefore, all the project results paint a worrying picture, showing the presence of mycotoxins in plant-based alternatives to meat and <\/span><\/span><\/span>a significant deterioration in health when these completely replace meat<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> in our diets.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To complete the picture, another recent <\/span><\/span><\/span>peer-reviewed study<\/span><\/span><\/a> confirms the <\/span><\/span><\/span>health risks of consuming plant-based meat alternatives<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>. In particular, this study focused on the <\/span><\/span><\/span>co-presence of sixteen mycotoxins in 105 meat alternatives made from wheat, pulses and vegetables in Italy<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>. Cumulative exposure to several mycotoxins has revealed <\/span><\/span><\/span>significant health risks<\/span><\/span><\/a>, including <\/span><\/span><\/span>cytotoxicity<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span><\/span>immune system interference, genotoxicity and carcinogenicity<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>. Mycotoxins have been detected in significant percentages in legumes, vegetables, wheat, and gluten, commonly used as ingredients in <\/span><\/span><\/span>plant-based meat alternatives<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>. These foods pose a potential threat to consumers, especially <\/span><\/span><\/span>vegetarians and vegans<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When replacing #meat with #PlantBased alternatives, the risk of developing some forms of #cancer is high, due to the high levels of some #mycotoxins. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Hyper-processed plant-based products<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> harm health<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/i><\/h4>\n

Previous studies<\/span><\/span><\/a> have shown that these <\/span><\/span><\/span>hyper-processed plant-based products<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> harm health<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> due to the high level of <\/span><\/span><\/span>industrial transformation<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> to turn vegetables into something similar to meat, full of additives, sugars and modified starches, refined oils, salt and hydrogenated fats. Their consumption <\/span><\/span><\/span>has been linked to<\/span><\/span><\/a> an <\/span><\/span><\/span>increased risk of diabetes, obesity, ischaemia, heart attacks, strokes, premature ageing and premature death<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>. Mycotoxin contamination further confirms that consumption of these products is unhealthy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Considering the presence of <\/span><\/span><\/span>mycotoxins<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> in these foods and the trend towards <\/span><\/span><\/span>consuming plant products as a substitute for meat<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>, the authors argue that <\/span><\/span><\/span>the regulations should be updated<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> and the products should be properly regulated <\/span><\/span><\/span>based on the risks associated with their consumption<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>. The authors conclude that a change in our eating habits towards plant-based meat alternatives could dangerously increase exposure to the toxins present in these products and that it is, therefore, <\/span><\/span><\/span>necessary for policymakers in the European Commission to establish regulations with maximum limits for contaminants found in vegetables<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> to guarantee food safety for consumers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Several international studies have highlighted potential health risks from mycotoxins in plant-based meat alternatives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23477,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[680],"tags":[5929,3446,5933,1275,5932,5931,5930,4084],"class_list":["post-23476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-safety-security","tag-aflatoxin-b1","tag-fake-meat-en","tag-hyper-processed-plant-based-products","tag-mycotoxins","tag-mycotoxins-in-plant-based-protein-ingredients","tag-plant-based-meat-alternative-mycotoxins","tag-plant-based-meat-alternatives","tag-plant-based-products"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t