Food contaminants

SusangitaFood technology

Roll no. 50

WHAT IS CONTAMINATION?

The presence in food of harmful, unpalatable, or otherwise objectionable foreign substances, e.g. chemicals, microorganisms or diluents, before, during, or after processing or storage.

PHYSICAL CONTAMINANTSPHYSICAL CONTAMINANTS

• Physical contaminants are either foreign materials or unintentionally introduced food products( ex: metal fragments in ground meat) or naturally occurring objects (ex: bones in fish) that are hazardous to the consumer.

• A physical contaminant contaminates food product at any stage of production.

• Food processors should take adequate measures to avoid physical hazards in food.

COMMON PHYSICAL CONTAMINANTSCOMMON PHYSICAL CONTAMINANTS

PREVENTIONSPREVENTIONS

DETECTION AND ELIMINATIONDETECTION AND ELIMINATION• Magnets can be used to attract and remove metal

from products.• Metal detectors can detect metal in food and should

be set up to eject products if metal is detected.• X-Ray machine can be used to identify contaminants

such as stones, bones and hard plastics.• Food radar systems transmits low-power microwaves

through food products to identify foreign bodies such as bones ,kernels,plastics,metals in food.

CHEMICAL CONTAMINATIONCHEMICAL CONTAMINATION

• Chemical contamination refers to the presence in food of harmful chemicals which can cause consumer illness.

IT INCLUDES PRESENCE OF IT INCLUDES PRESENCE OF :

• Heavy metals• Pesticide residues• Antibiotics• Veterinary drug

residues • Dioxins

• Environmental pollutants

• Radionucleides• Solvent residues • Chemicals

HEAVY METALSHEAVY METALS• The term heavy metal refers to any metallic

chemical element that has a relatively high density and is toxic or poisonous at low concentrations.

• Examples of heavy metals include mercury (Hg) cadmium (Cd) arsenic (As) lead (Pb)

VETERINARY DRUG RESIDUESVETERINARY DRUG RESIDUES• The milk and flesh of animals fed antibiotics and

other growth stimulating medicines and hormones becomes contaminated with the residues of these drugs.

• Usually these drugs remain in the body of animal for a few days and the animal should not be milked or slaughtered during that period after the administration of drugs.

• Ignorance and non-compliance with safety norms can lead to these compounds .

• The different types of veterinary drugs that may end up in our food supplies are:

• Antibiotics• Steroid hormones• Antifungal agents• Antihelminthics etc.

ANTIBIOTIC RESIDUESANTIBIOTIC RESIDUES

• Antibiotic residues can cause allergies in people sensitive to penicillin

• It also cause potential build up of antibiotic-resistant organism in humans.

• Antibiotic residue present in milk intended for production of cheese or formation of milk products requiring use of bacterial or yeast cultures may result in killing of these cultures. This results in ECONOMIC LOSS.

HORMONESHORMONES

• Hormones have been used by meat industry to promote growth or increase milk yield.

• Links have been suggested between hormone residue and early puberty in girls .

• It also leads to breast cancer.• There are also serious concerns about

environmental contamination particularly of drinking water from faecal and urinary excretion of hormones by cattles.

PREVENTIVE MEASURESPREVENTIVE MEASURES

• The veterinarian\animal doctor should be consulted before hormones are administered.

• Overmedication should be avoided.• Appropriate time gap must be given between

administering the drug and milking\slaughtering the animals.

PESTICIDESPESTICIDES

• Pesticides are the chemicals used on food crops provide protection from pests such as insects,rodents,weeds etc.

• Indiscriminate use of pesticides leads to high residue levels in food.

• Every pesticide has some safety or waiting period defined as number of days.(the time varies from pesticide to pesticide and crop to crop)

• Food product become safe for consumption only after the waiting period has lapsed.

• Even small quantities of pesticides residues eaten in daily diet can lead to high levels in the body.

EFFECT ON HEALTHEFFECT ON HEALTH• The effects of chronic or long term exposure to

pesticides do not appear immediately after first exposure and may take years to produce signs and symptoms.

• Acute poisoning signs that can be seen usually are:• Vomiting• Dizziness• Pinpoint pupils • Weakness• headache

PREVENTIVE MEASURESPREVENTIVE MEASURES

• Minimizing the use of pesticides in food.• The crop should not be harvested during

waiting period.• Proper washing of fruits and vegetables

before consumotion.

REFERENCES

• www.fssai.com• Hazard and food safety by IGNOU• www.slideshare.com• Agriculture and health ministry of India