Tropane alkaloids are natural, secondary plant constituents which, even in relatively small quantities, can lead to symptoms of poisoning when ingested with food. 
High concentrations of this toxin are found in white datura and black henbane, which occur as herbs in arable crops such as millet, corn and soybeans. In recent years, datura in particular has experienced a strong spread in large areas of Austria. During harvesting, not only the highly toxic seeds are picked up, but much more problematic is the sap of the datura plants, which escapes in the combine harvester and spreads over the harvested crop. Invisible contamination is the result. Product recalls in 2019 due to contamination with tropane alkaloids have led to increased sensitivity among food processors as well as raw material traders. 
With the FH Wels we have found a partner to work on this problem in a scientifically sound way. The UAS has the appropriate analytics and know-how with which we can learn more about the behavior of tropane alkaloids in the preparation and the different treatment and processing steps of edible soybeans. The goal is to understand the issue along the entire value chain and use this knowledge to minimize the risk of contamination in the final product.

Christa Ranetbauer