Safety Evaluation of Certain Contaminants in Food


Book Description

The detailed monographs in this volume summarize the technical, analytical, dietary exposure and toxicological data on a number of contaminants in food: acrylamide, arsenic, deoxydivalenol, furan, mercury and perchlorate. This volume and others in the WHO Food Additives series contain information that is useful to those who produce and use food additives and veterinary drugs and those involved with controlling contaminants in food, government and food regulatory officers, industrial testing laboratories, toxicological laboratories and universities.










Safety Evaluation of Certain Contaminants in Food


Book Description

This volume contains monographs prepared at the 64th meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food additives (JECFA), which met in Rome, Italy, from 8 to 17 February 2005. Six food contaminants or groups of contaminants were evaluated at the meeting (acrylamide, cadmium, ethyl carbamate, inorganic tin, polybrominated dipenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The monographs summarise data reviewed on these contaminants, including information on metabolism and toxicity, epidemiology, analytical methods for their measurement in food commodities, sampling protocols, effects of processing, levels and patterns of contamination of food commodities, food consumption, and prevention and control.










Evaluation of Certain Food Additives and Contaminants


Book Description

This report represents the conclusions of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee convened to evaluate the safety of various food additives and contaminants and to prepare specifications for identity and purity. The first part of the report contains a brief description of general considerations addressed at the meeting including updates on matters of interest to the work of the Committee. A summary follows of the Committee’s evaluations of technical toxicological and/or dietary exposure data for seven food additives (benzoates; lipase from Fusarium heterosporum expressed in Ogataea polymorpha; magnesium stearate; maltotetraohydrolase from Pseudomonas stutzeri expressed in Bacillus licheniformis; mixed B-glucanase cellulase and xylanase from Rasamsonia emersonii; mixed B-glucanase and xylanase from Disporotrichum dimorphosporum; polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) – polyethylene glycol (PEG) graft copolymer) and two groups of contaminants (non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls and pyrrolizidine alkaloids). Specifications for the following food additives were revised or withdrawn: advantame; annatto extracts (solvent-extracted bixin and solvent-extracted norbixin); food additives containing aluminium and/or silicon (aluminium silicate; calcium aluminium silicate; calcium silicate; silicon dioxide amorphous; sodium aluminium silicate); and glycerol ester of gum rosin. Annexed to the report are tables or text summarizing the toxicological and dietary exposure information and information on specifications as well as the Committee’s recommendations on the food additives and contaminants considered at this meeting.




Ensuring Safe Food


Book Description

How safe is our food supply? Each year the media report what appears to be growing concern related to illness caused by the food consumed by Americans. These food borne illnesses are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, pesticide residues, and food additives. Recent actions taken at the federal, state, and local levels in response to the increase in reported incidences of food borne illnesses point to the need to evaluate the food safety system in the United States. This book assesses the effectiveness of the current food safety system and provides recommendations on changes needed to ensure an effective science-based food safety system. Ensuring Safe Food discusses such important issues as: What are the primary hazards associated with the food supply? What gaps exist in the current system for ensuring a safe food supply? What effects do trends in food consumption have on food safety? What is the impact of food preparation and handling practices in the home, in food services, or in production operations on the risk of food borne illnesses? What organizational changes in responsibility or oversight could be made to increase the effectiveness of the food safety system in the United States? Current concerns associated with microbiological, chemical, and physical hazards in the food supply are discussed. The book also considers how changes in technology and food processing might introduce new risks. Recommendations are made on steps for developing a coordinated, unified system for food safety. The book also highlights areas that need additional study. Ensuring Safe Food will be important for policymakers, food trade professionals, food producers, food processors, food researchers, public health professionals, and consumers.




Mycotoxins and Food Safety


Book Description

Mycotoxins, from the Greek "mukes" referring to fungi or slime molds and toxin from the Latin "toxicum" referencing a poison for arrows, have earned their reputation for being potentially deleterious to the health and well being of a consuming organism, whether it be animal or human. Unfortunately, mycotoxins are a ubiquitous factor in the natural life cycle of food producing plants. As such, control of the potential impact of mycotoxins on food safety relies heavily upon accurate analysis and surveys followed by commodity segregation and restricted use or decontamination through processing. The purpose of this book is to provide the most comprehensive and current information on the topic of mycotoxins and assuring food safety. Chapters represented in the book reflect such diverse topics ranging from occurrence and impact, analysis, reduction through processing and plant breeding, toxicology and safety assessments to regulatory perspectives. Authors represent a range of international perspectives.




Evaluation of Certain Food Additives


Book Description

This report represents the conclusions of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee (JECFA) convened to evaluate the safety of various food additives including flavouring agents with a view to concluding on safety concerns and to prepare specifications for the identity and purity of the food additives. The first part of the report includes updates on the work of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) since the eighty-fourth meeting of JECFA and on activities relevant to JECFA with regard to the Environmental Health Criteria 240: Principles and methods for the risk assessment of chemicals in food (EHC 240). Following is a summary of the Committee s evaluations of technical toxicological and dietary exposure data for eight food additives other than flavouring agents - anionic methacrylate copolymer; basic methacrylate copolymer; erythrosine; indigotine; lutein and lutein esters from Tagetes erecta and zeaxanthin (synthetic); neutral methacrylate copolymer; sorbitol syrup; and spirulina extract - and eight groups of flavouring agents - alicyclic primary alcohols aldehydes acids and related esters; carvone and structurally related substances; furan-substituted aliphatic hydrocarbons alcohols aldehydes ketones carboxylic acids and related esters sulfides disulfides and ethers; linear and branched-chain aliphatic unsaturated unconjugated alcohols aldehydes acids and related esters; maltol and related substances; menthol and structurally related substances; miscellaneous nitrogen-containing substances; and saturated aliphatic acyclic branched-chain primary alcohols aldehydes and acids. Specifications and analytical methods were revised for the following food additives other than flavouring agents: cassia gum; citric and fatty acid esters of glycerol (CITREM); glycerol ester of wood rosin (GEWR); and modified starches. Annexed to the report are tables summarizing the Committee s recommendations for dietary exposures to all of the food additives as well as toxicological information dietary exposures and information on specifications.