FOOD CONTAMINANTS AND ADULTERANTS

Food contaminants are any harmful substances unintentionally added to

food, which may be chemicals from natural sources, environmental pollution, or
formed during food processing
Food contamination refers to the presence in food of harmful chemicals
and microorganisms which can cause consumer illness. This article addresses
the chemical contamination of foods, as opposed to microbiological
contamination, which can be found under foodborne illness.

The impact of chemical contaminants on consumer health and well-being

is often apparent only after many years of processing.Chemical contaminants
present in foods are often unaffected by thermal processing (unlike most
microbiological agents). Chemical contaminants can be classified according to
the source of contamination and the mechanism by which they enter the food
product.
TYPES OF FOOD CONTAMINANTS
 Pesticide residues :
Pesticide residue refers to the pesticides that may remain on or in food
after they are applied to food crops. The levels of these residues in foods
are often stipulated by regulatory bodies in many countries.
Exposure of the general population to these residues most commonly
occurs through consumption of treated food sources, or being in close
contact to areas treated with pesticides such as farms or lawns around
houses.
Persistent chemicals can be magnified through the food chain and have
been detected in products ranging from meat, poultry, and fish, to
vegetable oils, nuts, and various fruits and vegetables.
A pesticide is a substance or a mixture of substances used for killing pests:
organisms dangerous to cultivated plants or to animals. The term applies
to various pesticides such as insecticide, fungicide, herbicide and
nematocide. Applications of pesticides to crops and animals may leave
residues in or on food when it is consumed, and those specified
derivatives are considered to be of toxicological significance.
 Bacterial Toxins ( Mycotoxins).

The term 'mycotoxin' is usually reserved for the toxic chemical products
produced by fungi that readily colonize crops. One mold species may
produce many different mycotoxins, and the same mycotoxin may be
produced by several species.
Mycotoxins can appear in the food chain as a result of fungal infection of
crops, either by being eaten directly by humans or by being used as
livestock feed.
Spices are susceptible substrate for growth of mycotoxigenic fungi and
mycotoxin production.Red chilli, black pepper, and dry ginger were found
to be the most contaminated spices.
 Seafood Toxins

Seafood-borne illness, or seafood poisoning, occurs as a result of human

consumption of food harvested from the sea. This includes, but is not
limited to, finfish and shellfish. Patients seeking treatment for seafood-
borne illnesses may present a diagnostic challenge to the care provider as
they may have variable presentations of signs and symptoms, different
degrees of severity, as well as unclear timelines in relation to ingestion.

The scope of seafood-borne illness is vast, and, with increased travel and
expanding seafood trade, the likelihood of a care provider seeing a
seafood-borne illness is increasing. Poisoning by viral and bacterial
contamination of seafood, as well as marine envenomations.

 Metallic Contaminants

Many different types of metals and metal compounds exist naturally in

the earth’s crust. Human activities, geological activities and other forces
of nature may bring metals up to the surface and can increase the chance
of human exposure to metallic contaminants. More recently, humans are
exposed to metals as environmental pollutants from industrial or other
human activities via food and water, among other things.
Four metals, namely lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury, are of
particular concern in food because of their toxicity, especially for long
term (chronic) intake since they may accumulate in the body and cause
organ damage particularly to susceptible groups such as foetuses and
young children. Although acute poisoning from these metals is possible,
it is more likely that it happens through non-food route. Each of these
metals also forms numerous compounds with other elements, which vary
in properties and levels of toxicity to humans when ingested
Of these four metals, lead can enter the body via a number of media
including air, soil, water and food. Tobacco smoking, use of leaded petrol
in vehicles, lead water pipe and leaded food can solder are reported to be
major sources of lead exposure. Lead can be left on the surface of
vegetables and/or absorbed into vegetables and cereals in areas where
lead particles in air are deposited
COMMON ADULTERANTS IN FOOD & METHOD OF THEIR DETECTION
An adulterant is any substance which is added / mixed with a particular
food against legal norms and against food & safety standards. Most of
the times the adulterant is so similar to the food in which it is added, it
becomes difficult to identify its presence.
Common food adulterants
Chicory in coffee powder: Sprinkle some coffee powder on water
surface. Genuine coffee powder floats while chicory powder sinks.
Chicory powder also stains the water unlike coffee powder.
Dyed (used) tea leaves in tea powder: Put some tea powder on a wet
bloating paper. Artificially coloured used tea leaves immediately impart
colour to the bloating paper.
Chalk powder in sugar: Dissolve sugar in water. Chalk dust will settle
down.
Iron filings in rawa: Pass a magnet through rawa. Iron filings will stick to
it!
Starch in milk / Mashed Potato in butter: Add a drop of iodine solution
to little milk / butter. Presence of starch imparts blue color.
Water in milk: Place a drop of milk on slanting polished surface. Pure
milk flows slowly leaving a trail behind while adulterated milk will flow
fast without a trail.
Honey with sugar solution: Dip a cotton wick in honey & light it with a
matchstick. Pure honey burns but adulterated honey gives a cracking
sound.
Papaya seeds in black pepper: Papaya seeds are oval, shrunken or
brownish black in colour.
Dried tendrils of maize in saffron: Pure saffron will not break easily like
artificial.