Bühler whitepaper

Bad Harvests: Reducing mycotoxin and ergot contamination in a changing climate with optical sorting.

By Saurabh Malhotra, Product Manager, Bühler SORTEX.
 

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Bühler whitepaper

Bad Harvests: Reducing mycotoxin and ergot contamination in a changing climate with optical sorting.

By Saurabh Malhotra, Product Manager, Bühler SORTEX.
 


Rising global temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns are creating a new normal for agriculture – one with a higher risk of "bad harvests" leading to increased mycotoxin and ergot contamination in crops. This paper explores the dangers of mycotoxins and ergot alkaloids, how new challenges increase these risks, and how optical sorting solutions from Bühler SORTEX has proven to be a powerful solution for ensuring food safety and quality even during challenging harvests.

Unpredictable Harvests and New Regulations from July, 2024

The world's food supply depends on a delicate balance between environmental conditions and agricultural practices. However, challenges including climate change, improper storage and overuse of fertilizers are disrupting this balance, impacting crop health and creating conditions ideal for the growth of fungi that produce harmful mycotoxins and ergot alkaloids.

These invisible contaminants pose a significant risk to the safety and quality of our food supply. Processors are faced with a challenge – how to ensure food safety and maintain consistent quality standards in the face of a more unpredictable agricultural landscape.

To ensure consumer safety, from July 1st, 2024, regulations around the mycotoxin Fusarium Toxins Deoxynivalenol (DON) will become stricter in Europe, with global regulations likely to follow.

 

 

Mycotoxins and alkaloids (Ergot) in a Challenging Climate

Mycotoxins and alkaloids (Ergot) are toxic compounds produced by fungi that can contaminate a variety of crops, including wheat, rye, oats, nuts, pulses and other grain. Consuming these toxins can have severe health consequences for humans and animals, including cancer and in some cases, even death. 

As weather patterns become increasingly irregular, the presence of these contaminants can also increase. Droughts, floods, and extreme heat create ideal conditions for fungal growth, making it difficult to predict and prevent mycotoxin and ergot contamination. This provides a serious concern for everyone in the food supply chain as the raw material can have higher than average defect levels, and potentially toxins. These bad harvests can be expensive, wasteful, and have far-reaching consequences.

 

The Consequences of Bad Harvests

Lower food safety

Consuming contaminated food products can lead to a multitude of health problems in humans and animals, including chronic illnesses and even cancer.

When harvest quality changes, food safety faces a multitude of threats. Stressed crops become more susceptible to fungal attacks and a higher concentration of defects. The pressure processors face to use every available resource, can significantly increase contamination within the food supply chain.

Furthermore, a reliance on stored grains from previous seasons, a necessity during poor harvests, introduces another layer of food safety concerns. Improper storage conditions can create ideal environments for further mold growth and toxin production within these stored grains. These combined factors create a domino effect, with increased amounts of contaminated food.

 

Product Recall

Bad harvests can trigger a ripple effect throughout the food industry, with product recalls emerging as a significant consequence. When crops are contaminated with mycotoxins, ergot alkaloids, or suffer from compromised quality, companies may be forced to recall affected products to protect consumers from potential health risks.

Product recalls can be disruptive and costly, damaging brand reputation and consumer confidence. Here's how:

  • Loss of Consumer Trust: Recalls highlight potential safety lapses, eroding consumer trust in the brand and the overall food safety system. Regaining consumer confidence after a recall requires transparency, swift action, and clear communication.
  • Supply Chain Disruptions: Recalls disrupt the smooth flow of products through the supply chain. Recalled items need to be identified, tracked down, and removed from store shelves and distribution centers. This can lead to stock shortages and create logistical challenges for retailers and distributors.
  • Financial Repercussions: Recalls can be financially devastating for companies. Costs associated with product removal, disposal, and potential lawsuits can be significant. Additionally, lost sales and damaged brand reputation can further impact the company's bottom line.

 

 

Tighter Regulations 

Regulatory bodies are increasingly stringent when it comes to mycotoxin and ergot levels in food products. Processors face the pressure of meeting the thresholds of ever-changing regulations. From July 1st, 2024, maximum levels for the mycotoxin, DON, in cereals and cereal products will be made stricter and new maximum levels will be introduced for certain product groups. New advancements in optical sorting can help processors remove these invisible threats. 

How does optical sorting mitigate the effects of bad harvests?


As the market-leader in food processing equipment, Bühler offers solutions across the whole process value-chain, helping to address the growing challenge of bad harvests. 

One of these solutions is optical sorting, using a combination of full color, infra-red imaging, and intelligent algorithms to meticulously analyze individual grains for toxins.
 

  • Multispectral Imaging: SORTEX capture images beyond the visible spectrum, revealing subtle discolorations and other visual indicators of fungal growth that may be invisible to the naked eye. This data allows for more precise identification of contaminated kernels.
  • Machine Learning Algorithms: Powerful algorithms analyze the captured images, identifying even the most minute deviations in size, shape, and color that might signal the presence of mycotoxins or ergot. 
  • High-Precision Separation: Once identified, contaminated kernels are precisely removed from the product stream using targeted bursts of compressed air. This minimizes good grain loss while effectively eliminating the threat of mycotoxins and ergot in the final product.
     

By implementing Bühler’s optical sorting solutions, processors can achieve product quality, sustained yield, and consumer trust even in difficult times and bad harvests.


 

Conclusion

Bad harvests present a significant challenge to food processors. However, with the advanced technologies from Bühler SORTEX, processors can adapt and ensure food safety and quality even during unpredictable times.

Product manager Product manager Saurabh Malhotra, Product Manager, Bühler SORTEX