Nine people from the same family have died from food poisoning after eating homemade noodle soup that reportedly had been kept in a freezer for a year.
The Chinese family fell ill within hours after eating Suan Tang Zi, a thick noodle dish made from fermented corn flour, at a breakfast gathering of 12 relatives on the morning of October 5.
Seven of them were pronounced dead on October 10 while the eighth death was declared two days later. The last victim died on Monday, reported Chinese media, citing the family.
The Chinese Health Commission issued a national warning on Monday, urging citizens to avoid making or eating food from fermented flour.
The family living in north-eastern Chinese province Heilongjiang ate the regional delicacy during the morning food meeting.
The homemade soup noodle had been kept in a freezer for a year and gone bad before they consumed it, reported Chinese media.
Nine of them who ate the dish fell ill within hours and were rushed to the hospital.
The other three younger family members refused to try the food because of its 'strange taste'.
Among the nine patients, seven of them died on October 10 after all treatment failed. The eighth victim was pronounced dead two days later.
The final surviving family member who ate the soup, a woman known by her surname Li, passed on October 19, according to Chinese media, citing the woman's son.
Chinese officials said in a statement that the nine people had died of food poisoning after finding 'a high concentration of bongkrekic acid' in the noodle soup.
A high concentration of bongkrekic acid, a respiratory toxin, was detected in the noodles as well as the gastric fluid of those who became ill, the notice said.
Bongkrekic acid is the main cause of poisoning from fermented flour and rice products.
It is extremely toxic, resistant to high temperatures, and cannot be removed even if thoroughly cooked, Fan Zhihong, an associate professor of China's Agricultural University, told the Beijing News.
Eating food contaminated with bongkrekic acid can result in poisoning for both humans and animals and even lead to death, with a mortality rate as high as 40 to 100 per cent.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
