Both the noodles and the stomach fluid that the physicians analyzed contained a high level of bongkrekic acid.
How does bongkrekic acid form and what is it? Certain fermented foods may produce the lethal respiratory toxin known as bongkrekic acid.
The toxin, which is produced by the bacteria Burkholderia gladioli, has no taste or smell, so the family would not have realized how harmful the meal was while they were eating it.
Bongkrekic acid affects the body by going after organs including the liver, kidneys, and brain. It is also heat stable, meaning that cooking won’t destroy it.
