Foodborne illness associated with niacin: report of an outbreak linked to excessive niacin in enriched cornmeal.

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Public Health Rep
• Personal Author:
  Bartlett, Paul C. ; Morris, J. Glenn ; Spengler, J.
• Description:
  Supplementation of commercially prepared foods with vitamins and minerals has become routine in the United States since the 1940s. Although such additives are classified as "generally regarded as safe" (GRAS) (I), mistakes in adding or mixing can result in concentrations that can cause illness. In this report we describe an outbreak of foodborne illness attributed to excessive amounts of a vitamin and mineral additive mix in cornmeal. Symptoms were compatible with niacin toxicity; this is the first out- break of niacin toxicity reported in association with a commercially prepared additive mix. The outbreak emphasizes the need for care in commercial processing when dealing with additives. It also underscores the relative safety of the additives involved, in that no serious sequelae resulted despite high concentrations of the vitamin and mineral supplements.
• Subjects:
  Aged Disease Outbreaks Edible Grain Female Food, Fortified Humans Male Nicotinic Acids Nursing Homes Research Article
• Source:
  Public Health Rep. 97(3):258-260
• Pubmed ID:
  7089169
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMCnull
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois
• Volume:
  97
• Issue:
  3
• Collection(s):
  Public Health Reports
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:5beab11454f768a91d731cedbec38acc1bbbd89ddc66ee0beb5c7f47ccb80886
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/65874/cdc_65874_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 350.53 KB ]