Question:

Is not Alpha-amylase an enzyme? /peter – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Fungal Product Used In Baking Poses Health Risk To Bakery Employees

Response:

Fungal Product Used In Baking Poses Health Risk To Bakery Employees Posted on February 24, 1999 03:50 PM PST [snip] The substance, alpha-amylase, is derived from Aspergillus oryzae and is added to flour to improve bread quality and speed up the baking process.Previous studies showed through skin prick tests that 5% of bakery workers in the UK had become sensitized to the fungal additive. Similar results have been reported for Italian, Swedish and Dutch bakery workers. [snip]

I have to wonder whether the allergic reaction is to some other impurity left over from the Aspergillus oryzae, and not to the alpha-amylase itself.  Unless they also tested the reaction to alpha-amylase of non-fungal origin, I don’t think any meaingful conclusions can be drawn from this… (unless you are a bakery worker). —

Response:

Fungal Product Used In Baking Poses Health Risk To Bakery Employees Posted on February 24, 1999 03:50 PM PST WESTPORT, Feb 24 (Reuters Health) – A fungal substance added to flour used in baking causes a high rate of sensitization among some workers in British bakeries and flour mills, according to a study published in the March issue of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The substance, alpha-amylase, is derived from Aspergillus oryzae and is added to flour to improve bread quality and speed up the baking process.Previous studies showed through skin prick tests that 5% of bakery workers in the UK had become sensitized to the fungal additive. Similar results have been reported for Italian, Swedish and Dutch bakery workers. In the current study, Dr. Mark Niewenhuijsen and colleagues, from the Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine in London, and others in the Netherlands, found that employees who work in the dispensing and mixing areas of the bakeries experience higher levels of exposure to alpha-amylase and are almost 10 times more likely to become sensitized to the additive than those who work in other areas of the bakery. The researchers surveyed three large, modern bakeries, three flour mills and one packing station.A random sample of employees wore filters to collect samples of flour dust and answered questionnaires about symptoms of asthma.Skin prick tests determined whether or not the workers had become sensitized to the fungus. The researchers found that 1 in 20 employees exposed to alpha-amylase became sensitized. "This study suggests that exposure to alpha-amylase is a significant health risk for those employed in bakeries and flour mills.A small proportion of workers are exposed to concentrations of alpha-amylase that cause a high rate of sensitization.A reduction in alpha-amylase exposures is likely to reduce this risk," the authors write. Occup Environ Med 1999;56:197-201. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

Response:

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