What is food poisoning?
Answer 1- Food poisoning is caused either by ingestion of food contaminated with chemical ormetallic poisons, bacteria orbacterial toxins or by eating poisonous foods such as certain species of mushrooms.Molds and bacteria are responsible for microbial food poisoning. Molds grow on food (especially if they are moist). During their growing period they produce toxic substances called mycotoxins whose effect on man and animals cause mycotoxicosis. Mycatoxins remain the the food long after the mold producing them has died and can therefore be present in foods that are not visibly moldy. Some mycotoxins are stable and survive the usual conditions of cooking and processing.
Food grains, especially bajra, rye and jowar get infected with a parasitic ergot fungus Claviceps purpurea. Ergotism, a toxicosis results from eating grains contaminated with this fungus. Alimentary toxic aleukia (ATA) is another mycotoxicosis caused due to eating moldy grains
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