chemical hazards

dosage of levels or specific chemicals

- the amount of a chemical that a person is exposed to or consumes over a defined period

accidental toxic metals

- heavy metals that are not naturally intended to be in food but enter the food supply chain through environmental contamination or improper food processing and handling

naturally occurring toxins in foods

- poisonous substances produced by living organisms that are present in food commodities and pose a chemical hazard to human health when consumed

- intrinsic

control

- receipt

- use

- storage and handling

- inventory

sufficient concentration

- concentration of a chemical substance in a food product that is high enough to result in an exposure dose capable of causing an adverse health effect in a consumer

food processing to reduce/remove chemical hazards

- cleaning and washing

- sorting and trimming

- milling/dehulling

- filtration/refining

food containing the chemical hazard is consumed at large quantity

- significantly increases the exposure dose, which means the risk of an adverse health effect becomes much higher

sensitive populations - allergy, metabolic disorders

- specific groups of people who are at a significantly higher risk than the general populations for experiencing adverse health effects from the consumption of chemical hazards in food

- increases risk is due to a combination of biological and physiological factors that make their bodies less capable of resisting, detoxifying, or excreting the chemical substance

naturally-occurring constituents of foods

- poisonous animals (fish and marine animals - pufferfish)

- poisonous plants (lima beans, cassava)

- poisonous mushrooms (not a concern for food industry)

- food allergens

- food tolerants

big 9 food allergens

- peanut

- tree nuts

- cow's milk

- eggs

- crustacean shellfish

- fish

- soybean

- wheat

- sesame

- celiac disease -> cell-mediated allergy < 20 ppm gluten (gluten-free)

food tolerants

- metabolic disorder (absences of enzyme responsible for digestion/metabolism)

- lactose intolerant -> lactase

- sulfite-induced asthma -> idiosyncratic (unique to an person)

- tartrazine sensitivity -> idiosyncratic

- aspartame -> absence of phenylalanine hydroxylase

naturally-occurring contaminents

- bacterial toxins

- mycotoxins

- algal toxins

mycotoxins

- corn & peanuts

- molds

- aflatoxin -> aspergillus flavus; A. parasiticus

- fumonisins -> fusarium sp.

algal toxins

- marine algae

- red tide

- ingested by shellfish and fish

potentially toxic manmade chemicals

- incidental (radioactive)

- intentionally/unintentionally added

- food additives

- "delaney clause"

- agricultural chemicals

- chemical migration

- intentional adulterants

food additives

- not a major concern as the degree of hazard is quite low

- sodium nitrite, sorbitol -> nitrosamine -> carcinogen (causes cancer when large amount is consumed)

delaney clause

- no food additive shall be deemed safe if it is found to induce cancer in humans or animals

agricultural chemicals

- residues - very low

- insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers, veterinary drugs, and antibiotics (ex: penicillin)

chemical migration

- grom packaging materials and containers

- bisphenol A (BPA)

intenital adulterants

- melamine in milk & ciganuric acid