Toad in Spinach
Ein Bericht aus unserem Laboralltag
Sabine Horlacher and Thomas Kapp
Consumers find parts of a toad in their lunch
The consumers were looking forward to a delicious lunch with spinach, which they had purchased frozen, packed in individual portions. After boiling, the spinach was put in a sieve to be drained, at which point a suspicious looking foreign object, approximately 1.5 cm long, was discovered. The object was then presented with a complaint to the official food controllers, who forwarded the foreign object to the experts at CVUA Stuttgart for inspection.
Illustration 1: Fresh spinach, (Karin Bangwa / pixelio.de )
An initial analysis using an infrared spectrometer ruled out the foreign object as being plant-based. The subsequent assessment carried out by our pathologists identified it as part of an amphibious body with dark green, leathery, warty skin. Parts of the ribs and spinal column with cooked muscle meat attached were also observable. The color and condition of the remaining skin pointed to the probability of the specimen being a toad.
Illustrations 2 and 3: Sample of "spinach frog“ presented to the CVUA (upper photo: top side; lower photo: under side), Photos: Pat Schreiter, CVUAS
Components typical of toads such as the tryptamine alkaloid bufotenin were detected in the extract by means of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. It is highly likely that this involuntary additive to spinach was a domestic (European) common toad (Bufo bufo).
It is assumed that the animal was in the spinach at the time of harvesting, either as a whole or in part, and was not removed during processing. The additional protein is not hazardous to one’s health, but is nonetheless disgusting for the consumer, and is therefore to be reported.
"Animal-based“ foreign objects of various types are objects of consumer complaint that reach the investigators now and again. It needs to be determined whether more than a single case is behind the situation.
More on the topic
Info Box
Bufotenin is found in the skin secretion of various toad species. This substance is attributed with hallucinogenic effects.
Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bufotenin
After the grass frog, the common toad (Bufo bufo) is the most common amphibian in Europe. They can be as long as 9 to 12 centimeters long. The relatively plump animals have a bulky body, covered with warty skin glands, with a wide, round head and a short snout.
Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erdkröte ; Photo: Jörg Rau, CVUAS