Food contaminants in general

Despite stringent legislation and regulation for food quality, food safety incidents occasionally occur and originate from both microbial and chemical contamination.

Food contaminants could be interpreted:
*growth of pathogen microorganisms
*presence of toxic compounds
*presence of foreign objects

Food contaminates are generally considered to be those substances present in food at levels that serve no technological function and whose presence may lead to adverse health effects.

Contaminants serve no nutritional function, although some, such as copper, selenium and zinc are essential micronutrients that may have an adverse health effect at high levels of consumption.

Raw materials for feed and food production come all over the world with very different local climate, harvesting and storage conditions, all having an impact on the occurrence of microbiological and chemical contaminant such as mycotoxins, pesticide residues, environmental pollution and packaging migrants.

Food may become contaminated at many points during the food chain. The contaminants may be present in food as a result of the various stages of its production, packaging, transport or holding. Contamination can be accidental or deliberate. A contamination incident can be very significant with substantial morbidity and mortality.

In many cases the level of potential contamination with substances from environmental sources is self-limiting because of current manufacturing practices and adherence to agricultural or industrial best practice.

What are the important characteristics of food contaminants that have the potential to cause a food security breach?
*The contaminants must be hazardous to human
*The contaminants should not be noticeable: tasteless, colorless, odorless and inert with regard to the food chemistry and composition
*The contaminants should be stable in the food over the shelf life.

Many food contaminants are now definitively associated with the induction of cancer and with neurotoxic, hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects.

Functional effects may include changes in the lungs, liver, and kidneys in cardiovascular function, in brain and nervous system activity and behavior and in resistance to disease.
Food contaminants in general