Some ‘Brukina’ drinks contain cancer-causing substances: On a warm afternoon, one might want to unwind with a chilled bottle of “brukina” (also known as “bokina”), a dairy milk and millet drink.
But have you bothered to look up the ingredients in this meal?
According to a study by the University of Ghana’s Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, some samples of “brukina,” as well as the millet and dairy milk used to make it, had unacceptable amounts of aflatoxins, which, when consumed repeatedly, can lead to cancer.
The research was published in the Ghana Medical Journal.
Aflatoxins are a group of highly toxic substances produced by a fungus known as Aspergillus.
The purpose of the study was to look at the aflatoxin levels in “brukina.”
Over the course of seven months, monthly samples of “brukina” were bought from “brukina” vendors for the study.
Nima and Ashaiman in Accra each had twenty-one samples taken for testing.
Read More; Some ‘Brukina’ drinks contain cancer-causing substances
After testing, the researchers discovered that 2 samples from Nima and 1 from Ashaiman both contained high amounts of aflatoxin (AFB1) that were beyond the permitted threshold.
The permissible limit for aflatoxin (AFM1) was exceeded in 12 dairy milk samples from Ashaiman and 10 dairy milk samples from Nima.
All dosages of aflatoxins have an additive effect on the risk of cancer, and some of the “brukina” samples examined were contaminated with aflatoxins.
Similar to this, 6 millet samples from Nima and 2 samples of millet from Ashiaman both contained aflatoxins (AFB1).
“Given that newborns’ bodies are more vulnerable to harmful shocks, it is wise to avoid giving them brukina based on these findings.
To safeguard the population from aflatoxin exposure and toxicity, regulators must educate farmers and “brukina” producers about proper storage procedures, according to Prof. Regina Appiah-Opong, a toxicologist and the project’s main scientist at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
