This doctor has a system

Chapter 593 656. Citrinin

"What is this?" Li Xinyao asked.

"Red yeast rice," Gao Feng replied. "I suspect there is something wrong with this thing."

"Isn't it just a health product?" Li Xinyao picked it up and took a look. "Foreign merchants love to use these things to deceive Chinese people."

"Two patients with impaired renal function took this red yeast rice health product." Gao Feng said. He felt that this was not a coincidence.

Zhou Chaoxian did not experience the above-mentioned situation. The reason was very simple: he did not drink this stuff.

"It's bland, not even as good as drinks." He said to Gao Feng, "Besides, I don't believe it. You still need to exercise to maintain your health. If you are sick, you have to go to the hospital."

"Then why did you buy this?" Li Youliang expressed his confusion.

"I don't believe it, but they do." Zhou Chaoxian said as a matter of course. This is a way for him to maintain the relationship with his ex-girlfriend and current girlfriend.

The sun shines through the sparse clouds and falls on the wide road. On the roadside, rows of willow trees hang down their dry branches, and the willow leaves on them have long disappeared, which makes the road look a little desolate. In the distance, several hills stand tall, and something on the top of the hills is shining in the sunlight.

Cars roared past, raising a cloud of dust. Bicyclists occasionally passed by on both sides of the road, wearing professional sports equipment and helmets, pedaling their bicycles vigorously, enjoying the thrill brought by speed.

On the other side of the road, a mother and her child were walking slowly. The mother was holding her child's hand with a warm smile on her face.

At this moment, the highway is like a link between urban and rural areas, closely linking natural scenery with human activities. Whether it is a hurried passer-by or a leisurely pedestrian, they all leave their own stories on this road.

"Are you ready?" Gao Feng asked.

"Everything is ready." Li Youliang responded quickly, "We have purchased enough samples, and the laboratory has also assigned a team. We can start work at any time."

"Yeah." Gao Feng nodded with satisfaction. "By the way, did the buyer find anything in this regard?"

"This... not yet." Li Youliang said, "This health product is not sold in China."

There are only two ways for domestic consumers to purchase. One is to find someone to buy on their behalf, as Zhou Chaoxian did. The other is to buy through the Internet, through cross-border e-commerce, which requires tax.

But either way, it's not easy to contact the buyer.

"In that case, let's put this matter aside for now."

The vehicle soon arrived at the experimental park. As time went by, this place became more and more prosperous. As soon as the car stopped, Hu Jiaran ran up, and Gao Feng found that he looked a lot fatter.

"I have gained weight." Hu Jiaran touched his double chin, "I haven't been exercising much lately."

"It's better to gain some weight. You were too thin before." Gao Feng chatted with him for a few words, and the group soon arrived at the laboratory. The staff here were already in place.

"What do we need to do?" Hu Jiaran asked.

"It's very simple." Gao Feng picked up the red yeast rice health supplement on the table and said, "Extract the ingredients inside."

Of course, this extraction is directional, otherwise the ingredients are so complicated and it would be difficult for these people to complete it in a short period of time.

During this period, Gao Feng has consulted a lot of information. According to his idea, if the culprit that caused the kidney damage of Wang Xinling and others was really this red yeast rice health product, then the real culprit must be Aspergillus.

In terms of classification, Monascus belongs to the genus Aspergillus. In the same genus, there are many useful "relatives", such as Aspergillus oryzae, which is often used in the brewing of soy sauce, sake, and miso, and Aspergillus niger, which is often used in the production of citric acid, lactase, and lysozyme. But there are also many harmful "relatives", such as Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus, which both produce carcinogenic toxins aflatoxin, and Aspergillus fumigatus can also infect people with low immunity and cause aspergillosis.

Monascus, which is often used to make wine or fermented food, is considered a relatively safe strain. Theoretically, the red yeast rice produced by the fermentation of rice with Monascus is safe.

However, the fermentation process is too complicated and it is difficult to control other "bacteria" or "by-products".

Could it be that other bacteria are causing the kidney damage?

Gao Feng felt that this possibility was very high.

The members of the team are all old people, and they are very familiar with the operation of extracting ingredients. Hu Jiaran can't get involved. He is happy to be free and accompanies Gao Feng for a stroll.

"Is there nothing going on here recently?"

"Overall, it's fine, but there are more things to do on those small islands." Hu Jiaran said, "They have been rushing to make progress and repeatedly urged us to transfer some people to them."

But no one is willing to go there. Although these small islands do not seem difficult to get along with, deep down Chinese people have a complex negative feeling towards this country.

In the afternoon, news came from the laboratory that they had found citrinin in the sample.

"Citrin?" Gao Feng was stunned for a moment, "Are you sure? Is the content high?"

The toxin citrinin is nephrotoxic and can cause teratogenesis and carcinogenesis.

"It's still hard to determine the amount of bacteria," an employee replied. "Although these samples are from the same manufacturer, the production processes seem to be different."

They found that these samples belonged to two manufacturing processes. The former red yeast rice health product was bright red in color, had very small particles, was easily soluble in water, and its ingredients were relatively simple and clean.

The second type is obviously different. The particles are larger and most of them are in lumps when unpacked. They do not dissolve fully after adding water, and there is a lot of residue at the bottom.

Its ingredients are also very complex, including not only Aspergillus, but also Escherichia coli in amounts exceeding the prescribed limit. Citrinin was also found in this sample.

"Could it be that they were produced in different factories?" Gao Feng thought, supporting his chin. "Go check it out, Youliang," he said.

Li Youliang ran out quickly. He found some channels and finally got the exact information.

The island company that produces red yeast rice health products is called Oki Pharmaceutical. It is an old pharmaceutical company headquartered in Tokyo. The company has been deeply engaged in the field of health products over the years and has achieved many results.

Red yeast rice supplements are the best-selling products, and due to strong demand, Oki Pharmaceuticals opened a new factory in the Osaka area.

But for some unknown reason, the place of origin on the product packaging bags was not accurately marked and was always written as Tokyo.

"Is there something wrong with the fermentation process?" Gao Feng said to himself. Is that why there are so many bacteria in the product?

He soon grasped the problem and found out the cause of the production of citrinin.

"Purchase or culture erythromycin strains to see if there are any types that can produce citrinin." He instructed Hu Jiaran and left the laboratory.

(End of this chapter)