Xiaoben Q&A | Can sugarcane be eaten before and after Qingming Festival?

Recently, a post about “Don’t eat sugar cane after Qingming Festival” has become the headline of WeChat Moments. Sugarcane is sweet and refreshing, and is a favorite food for many people. What is special about sugarcane around Qingming Festival? In order to seek answers, the reporter found Professor Qin Dan from the School of Food Science and Technology to answer our questions.

Qin Dan introduced: “Sugarcane poisoning is actually due to the mildew of sugarcane, and a few species of Penicillium and Aspergillus are produced after the sugarcane is mildewed. It produces a neurotoxin called 3-nitropropionic acid.” This toxin is toxic to a variety of animals, and can cause damage to the central nervous system within a short time after being absorbed by the human body, resulting in brain edema, headache, Convulsions, dilated pupils, and in severe cases can lead to ischemia, respiratory failure and death. There are also some patients with sugar cane poisoning left with language, movement disorders and other sequelae.

Sugarcane poisoning has serious consequences, but it can be avoided as long as we are more careful. Generally, the moldy sugarcane skin is grayish-dark, and the cross section is light yellow, orange-red, tan or gray Black spots, sometimes visible black mold or white bacterial film. Sugar cane that is soft, discolored, smells like wine, has long hair, and has red hearts should not be eaten.

In addition, Qin Dan also emphasized that the drinking of sugarcane juice should also be paid attention to. It is squeezed into juice for sale, so if you want to drink sugarcane juice, it is best to buy and squeeze the fresh and healthy sugarcane by yourself.

The saying about sugarcane poisoning spread on the Internet is often linked to the Qingming Festival. But in fact, the mildew of sugarcane is related to the rise in temperature. The rising temperature in spring is more suitable for the growth and reproduction of fungi such as mold, not only sugarcane, but most of the food will become difficult to preserve during this period.

The initial symptoms of eating moldy sugar cane are temporary digestive disturbances such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, followed by nervous system headaches, dizziness, and diplopia symptom. Mild cases recover quickly, while severe cases have aggravated gastrointestinal symptoms, frequent nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness. Although each person’s constitution is different, some people have mild poisoning symptoms after eating red sugar cane, but it is not worth paying attention to, but it is recommended that you do not take chances.

Qin Dan said: “Consumers should be more careful when purchasing sugar cane. Buy sugar cane.”

So, how do we choose healthy and non-toxic sugar cane? Qin Dan suggested that when choosing sugarcane, choose sugarcane with white or light yellow pulp. If the pulp has abnormal colors such as red, brown and black spots, it is likely that mold has become sugarcane that will poison people. In addition, try to choose sugarcane that grows straighter. Too much bent sugarcane may have fallen over during the growth process, which will affect the taste, or it may be bent due to long worms.

Many people wonder, if there are only a few moldy spots or redness on the sugarcane, can these parts be cut off and continue to be eaten? In this regard, experts also reminded that even so, the remaining part cannot be eaten. Because of the high water content of sugarcane, mycotoxins can penetrate freely and most likely have infected the entire sugarcane. Finally, I hope that people who read this report can gain something and choose healthy and delicious sugarcane in the future.