Death of German poisoned by zucchini sparks public health warnings

25-Aug-2015 - Germany

The death of a 79-year-old man this week has prompted health warnings in the southern German state of Baden-Wuerttemburg after it appeared that he died of food poisoning from a zucchini.

The man and his wife were taken to a clinic in the town of Heidenheim with stomach pains two weeks ago, where staff were told that he had eaten a "terribly bitter" zucchini. The man died Sunday.

The bitter-tasting cucurbitacin toxin, which breaks down the membrane in the stomach and intestines, is found in members of the squash family such as zucchini, pumpkin and cucumber.

While it has been largely bred out of the vegetables, Stuttgart's office for food control and public health still warned that care should be taken, particularly if dishes with these ingredients have a bitter taste.

The organization's head of chemical research, Maria Roth, tested the zucchini that the man had eaten, the first such case that her laboratory has dealt with.

The vegetables can occasionally retain the poisonous compound, with home-grown vegetables posing a particular risk, Roth said. She cited a recent heatwave in Germany as a possible cause for the mutation in the vegetable that led to the man's death. (dpa)

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1145908/death-of-german-poisoned-by-zucchini-sparks-public-health-warnings.html