A ninth member of a family has died after suffering food poisoning from homemade noodles earlier this month.
The latest death comes after eight other family members died from eating the corn noodles for breakfast in the city of Jixi in China’s northeastern Heilongjiang province on October 5.
Local authorities said the family was poisoned by the noodles made from fermented corn flour containing bongrekic acid, the Global Times reported.
The noodles, which were kept in the family freezer for a year, were eaten by nine adults, but the three children present did not eat the dish because they did not like it.
On October 10, authorities confirmed the deaths of seven family members, with the eighth death confirmed two days later.
The last surviving family member who ate the soup, a mother surnamed Li, died on Monday.
Gao Fei, director of food safety at the Heilongjiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told China News Service that bongkrek acid poisoning is often fatal.
“It can cause severe damage to many human organs, including the liver, kidneys, heart and brain,” he said.
“There is currently no specific antidote. In case of poisoning, the mortality rate can be between 40 and 100 percent.”
Mr. Gao said that bongkrek acid is resistant to boiling.
The noodle dish, known locally as Suantangzi, is a common dish in the region.
According to experts, moldy or soaked corn should not be used in the production of the noodles. If the noodles develop a strange smell or colored spots, they should not be eaten.
