Chemical and Physical Hazards

Lecture material 2
Course : ITP 322 Food Safety and Sanitation

Betty Sri Laksmi Jenie

Ratih Dewanti-Hariyadi

Department of Food Science and Technology

Bogor Agricultural University
BSL-RDH/ITP/IPB/2016 /
Bogor Agricultural University
 Outline :
•  Chemical contaminants in Foods
•  Source of Chemical Contaminants
•  Classification of Chemical Contaminants
- Natural Toxicants
- Heavy Metals
- Chemicals from Agricultural
- Environmental Contaminants
- Contaminants from Packagings
- Allergens
- Unauthorized/Illegal Additives
•  Physical Hazards
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 Chemical Contaminants in Foods

Natural toxicants
Mycotoxins

Antibiotic
residue Heavy metals

Pesticide
Vinyl chloride,
residue
Styrene

Fertilizers Allergens

3-MCPD, acrylamide,

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 Source of Contaminants

From raw materials: plant and animal origin

-  Plant origin : environmental pollutant (heavy metals,
pesticide residues, industrial chemicals, products from
fossil fuels )
-  Animal origin (mainly fish and milk) : residues of
veterinary drugs and growth promoting substances
During processing:
- processing aids à filtering and cleaning agents;
- metals from the equipment
During packaging and storage :
plastics, coatings and tins

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 Classification of Chemical Hazards*

I. Naturally occuring chemicals

Mycotoxins (e.g. aflatoxin)
Scombrotoxin (histamine)
Ciguatoxin
Mushroom toxins
Shellfish toxins
Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP)
Diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP)
Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP)
Amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP)
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids
Phytohemagglutinin
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
*Rhodehamel, 1992

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 Classification of Chemical Hazards*

II. Added chemicals

Agricultural Chemicals
Pesticides
Fungicides
Fertilizers
Insecticides

Prohibited Substances
Direct
Indirect

Toxic Elements and compounds

Lead (Pb), Zinc (Zn), Arsenic (Hg), Mercury (Hg),
Cyanide (CN)
*Rhodehamel, 1992
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 Added Chemicals
Food Additives
Direct – allowable limits under GMPs
Preservatives (nitrite and sulfiting agents)
Flavor enhancers (monosodium glutamate)
Nutritional additives (niacin)
Color additives
Prohibited Substance for indirect Use
Indirect-Plant chemicals
lubricants, cleaners, sanitizers, cleaning
compounds, coating and paints)

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 Natural Toxicants : Myocotoxins
Mycotoxins Mold Food Illnesses

Aflatoxins Aspergillus flavus, peanut, liver cancer

B1,B2,G1, G2 A. parasiticus cereal, corn

Ochratoxin A. ochraceus cereal, non-carsinogenic

affect liver, kidney

Citrinin Penicillium citrinum rice

P. viridicatum
Patulin P. expansum apple LD50 (i.v,mice)=
P. moniliforme apple juice 15 - 35 mg/kg BB

Zearalenon Fusarium graminearum corn affect sex hormon in

animal
Fumonisin F. moniliforme corn

Trichotecene F. sporotrichoides cereals Alimentary toxic

experiencing aleukia : burning
temperature sensation in mouth,
cycling esophagus, stomach,marrow

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 Natural Toxicants : Plants
Toxins Foods Effects on health

Goitrogen cabbage, broccoli, inhibit absorption of iodine-

mustard iodine deficiency
Amatoxin Amanita muscaria stomachache, thirst,nausea,
Palotoksin Amanita phalloides vomiting, diarrhea,weak,tear,
(mushroom) death
Solanin Potato

Jengkolic acid Jengkol perut kembung, nausea,vomiting,

constipation, pain, seizure
Cianides Cassava nausea,vomiting, dizzy, difficulties
in breathing,rapid heartbeat,
pingsan, death
Tetrodotoksin ikan buntel, mahi-mahi neurotoksin, fatal
(indung telur dan hati)
PSP kerang neurotoksin, dihasilkan oleh
plankton beracun Gonyaulax
(dinoflagellata), “red tide”

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 Natural Toxicants : Fish and Shellfish
Toxins Definition Foods Effects on health

Tetrodotoksin a sodium channel blocker pufferfish,mahi2 LD50=334 mg/kg

toxin produced by sym- porcupinefish very toxic
biotic bacteria Pseudo-
monas, Pseudoaltero-
monas, Vibrio

Paralytic shellfish saxitoxin (neurotoxin) by bivalve mollusk nausea, vomiting

toxic poisoning dinoflagellata (genus (mussel, scallop diarrhea, tingling
(PSP) Alexandrium, oyster, clam) burning lips,
shortness of breath.

Amnesic shellfish a domoic toxin produced clam, Ram clam, nausea, vomiting,
poisoning (ASP) by diatom Psedonitzchia bivalve mollusk coma, death

Diarhetic shellfish an okadoic acid produced bivalve mollusk nausea, vomiting,

by microalga Dinophysys diarrhea, fever

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 Natural Toxicants : Arsenic
•  Arsenic is a natural component found in the environment
•  Two types of arsenic: inorganic and organic
-  Most of organic : relatively safer, inorganic at high
concentration : dangerous to health  
-  both types can be found in food and drink
•  Consumer Reports (US) :
- 88 juice samples 10% had As>10 ppb, mostly inorganic
- database : people consuming juice à urine contained
total As 20% higher than people who didn’t consume,
needs to establish standard for arsenic content in juice
•  Regular exposure at low concentration à may increase risk
of : cancer, cardiac, diabetes and autoimmune
•  CDC : studies in a country where people regularly consumes
water with As>100 ppb : increase risk of lung cancer, kidney,
liver , urinary tract and skin disorder*
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 Contamination From
Agricultural Practices
Pesticides
•  Use of Pestides : insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides
•  Important in fighting against malaria, dengue fever and for the
production and storage of food
-  Organophosphorous insecticides (e.g. parathion) : inhibit
acetylkholinesterase à symptoms : lachrymation, pupil
constriction, convulsions, respiratory failure and coma;
readily degraded in environment
-  Carbamate herbicides : propham (isopropyl-N-carbanilate) :
relatively low acute toxicities, readily degraded
-  Organochlorine insecticides : neurotoxic, very stable and
accumulate in food chains, e.g. chlorinated cyclodiene
insectisides (aldrin) : causing nausea, vomiting, headache
(human) and stiffness, inability to coordinate muscular
movements, paralysis and eventually coma (in animal)
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 Contamination From
Agricultural Practices
Nitrate
•  Sources in the soil : nitrate can originate from
microbial fixation of N in symbiotic relationship
with leguminous plants
•  Other sources : soil pollution caused by the use of
fertilizers in agriculture and manure production in
cattle breeding and dairy farming
•  Microbial nitrification : responsible for the
conversion of ammonia and urea to nitrate in the
soil
•  The toxicological risks due to intake of nitrate are
attributed to the reduction product: nitrite

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 Contamination From
Agricultural Practices

•  Nitrite can oxidize hemoglobin to methemoglobin

•  In acidic environment : may react with secondary
amines under the formation of nitrosamines
•  Numerous alkyl- or alkylarylnitrosamines : carcinogenic
in experimental animals
•  Nitrite and nitrosamines can be formed in situ in food,
but also in the body (after ingestion of nitrate)
•  Oral and intestinal bacteria can convert nitrate to
nitrite
•  Certain vegetables tend to accumulate nitrate : beets,
celery, lettuce, spinach

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 Heavy Metals
Name Types Characteristics Foods Effects

Mercuri -organic -  Lipophilic, easily fish burning &

(Hg) -elemental passed across seafood metal sensation,
(inorganic) cell membrane rapid heartbeat
-  Organic Hg is
more toxic
-  Target : central
nervous system
-  Industrial waste

Lead -improperly •  hardly soluble in fruits, central&

(Pb) lead-glazed water vegetables peripheral nerve
earthenware •  Pb content of system,
-tins with water/bottled Anemia,
lead solders water is regulated disturbance of
-water pipes max 5 ppm renal function,
-leaded weight loss
gasoline

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 Heavy Metals
Name Types Characteristics Foods Effects

Cadmium Inorganic Cd widely distributed in liver, kidney pale,vomiting,

(Cd) salts the environment milk convulsion,
(extensive industrial Chronic Cd
use), Intoxication
in Japan (rice):
skeleton
deformation

Copper(Cu) Uncoated headache,

acid
can sweaty, weak
beverage
pulse ,metal
In uncoated
taste in mouth
can
abdominal pain,
diarrhea,
comma, death

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 N  Environmental pollutant

2, 3, 7, 8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)
•  formed from chlorinated hydrocarbon at the high temp
reached in incineration
•  TCDD : highly toxic on acute exposure, LD50 oral in
guinea pig (“marmut”) : 1 mg/kg.
•  Adverse effects in experimental animals : liver damage,
teratogenic effects, immune suppression and increase
tumor incidence; causes enzyme induction
•  In man : liver damage and polyneuropathies (disfunction
of the nerve system
•  The main route to TCDD is dietary intake

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 N  Environmental pollutant

2, 3, 7, 8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)
TCDD can reach food via :
(a) spraying of crops with 2,4,5-T (herbicide :
2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyaceticacid)
(b) ingestion of contaminated feed by
livestock;
(c)  magnification via food chains;
(d) (d) contamination of fruits and vegetables in
the proximity of incinerators

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 N  Environmental pollutant

2, 3, 7, 8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)

•  bleaching of paper with chlorine : paper

commonly used for instant (soak) tea package
à not clear yet
•  If expose to high temperature à dioxin
•  WHO (1998) : safety threshold limit of dioxin :
1-4 pikogram (1/triliun gram) dioksin per kg
body weight

19
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 Food Contaminant from
Packaging Materials
•  Contact of packaging with food can cause
migration of monomer and plasticizer
•  Monomer : vynil chloride and styrene are used in
manufacturing of plastics
•  Vinyl chloride : has been identified as liver
carcinogen in animal models as well as in humans
•  Vinyl chloride leaches out of packaging materials
into water and fatty material
•  Types of packaging plastics : polyethylene,
polypropylene, polyvynil chloride (PVC), Vinyliden
Chloride Resin

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 Food Contaminant from
Packaging Material
Styrene
•  causesrenal and hepatic damage, pulmonary
edema, cardiac arrhythmia
•  Oral LD50 in rats is relatively low : 5 g/kg
•  Styrene leaches out of polystyrene packaging
materialà preferably into the fatty components
of food
•  High-fat yogurt : 27 ppb,
•  Fruit yogurt : 71 ppb
•  Other dessert : 20 - 70 ppb
•  Meat products : 18 - 180 ppb
•  Packed fruit and vegetable salad : 5 ppb
•  ADI for styrene : 40 ng per kg
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 Food Contaminant from
Packaging Material
•  Plasticizer is important in PVC plastics :
di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-butil
phthalate (DBP) à cause lung and liver damage
à carcinogens
•  Severity level of plastics depends on:
–  Chemical composition,
–  Type of foods (acid, fatty)
–  Contact time
–  Temperature of food at storage
•  PVC and Vinyliden Chloride Resin if exposed to
heat à dioxin à fat soluble à higher
concentration in fatty foods
•  Dioxin concentration in food products : meat,
dairy products, milk, poultry, fish and egg
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 Food Contaminant from
Packaging Material
Styrofoam
•  Used in packaging material for instant food or ready to eat
food
•  Made of foamed polystyrene with polystyrene as the basic
material
•  Properties: light, rigid, fragile and transparant
•  To make it white : polystyrene usually mixed with synthetic
rubber (butadiene)
•  To be flexible and durable : à added with plasticizers
(DOP : dioctylphthalate) and BHT (butylated hydroxy
toluene) à carcinogenic and reduce thinking ability in
children
•  high temperature induced the migration of chemical
components into food.

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 Food Contaminant from
Packaging Material
Polystyrene
•  assumed to induce oestrogenic response
(hormon) : disturb the endocrine
•  Research conducted by Fail et al., 1998; Bachmann,
1998; Prinsen et al., 2001 à no evidence
•  FDA regulate the maximum total of styrene residue
in packaging material :
–  1% by weight (10.000 ppm)
–  0.5% (5000 ppm) for fatty foods

•  Migration of styrene occurred at high temperature

above 300oC

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 Processing Contaminants

•  formed after cooking and processing

•  Cured meats : nitrosamine in bacon à formed after
frying
•  In meat : degradation of meat protein after cooking
produced heterocyclic amine
•  Other cooking proces : might also produced
carcinogenic substances

•  Study in Swedish on more than 100 types of foods :

found acrylamide content in the range of 10 ppb -
>2000 ppb à in potato chips, french fries and bread
•  US EPA : considered maximum allowable acrylamide
content in drinking water as much as 0.5 μg/l (ppb)

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 Processing Contaminants
Acrylamide
•  April 2002 (Swedish National Food Authority) confirmed by
the Dept of Health Canada :

- Acrylamide can be produced in starch-based foods when

processed at high temperature (> 120oC)

•  formed from substances already present in foods :

asparagin + glucose Acrylamide

(natural amino acid) high temperature

- The amount of acrylamide produced varies, depending

on the types of food and processing condition

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 Processing Contaminants
Acrylamide
•  Animal study : categorizes acrylamide as probable cause
of cancer in human
•  Not known whether acrylamide content in food pose health
risk in human or not ; more studies are needed
•  Acrylamide is a crystal, colorless, odorless, flake-like
•  Polyacrylamide frequently used as :
•  coagulant in drinking water treatment
•  manufacturing of plastic
•  including food packaging,
•  Also used in synthetic rubber manufacturing

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 Food Allergy And Intolerance

Food allergy:
abnormal reaction of the immune system
to food or a food product

Food intolerance/metabolic disorder:

abnormal physiological response to food or
food additives that is non-immunological
mediated

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 The Big 8 : Food Allergens

Milk Egg Peanut Seafood

Tree nut Shellfish Soybean Wheat

8 major foods or food groups responsible for 90% of food allergies

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 Food Allergens

•  Food components such as proteins, glycoproteins or

polypeptides could trigger the allergy responses
•  In the United States : it is estimated about 12 million people
suffer from food allergies à prevalence increasing
•  Most food allergic reactions occurs in infants
6 – 8% in children < 3 year
4% in adults
•  Roughly 30,000 people require emergency room treatment
each year and 100 – 200 individuals die because of allergic
reactions to food

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 Signs and symptoms of food allergy
and food intolerance
Skin symptoms
§  Itching erythema,
§  Angioedema :
§  Urticaria
§  Increase of eczema
Respiratory symptoms
–  Itching of eyes, nose, throat
–  Tearing, redness of the eyes
–  Sneezing, nasal obstruction
–  Swelling of the throat
–  Shortness of breath, cough
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Gastro intestinal symptoms
§  Nausea, vomiting
§  Abdominal cramps
§  Diarrhea
Systemic symptoms à
anafylaxis
–  Hypotension, shock
(unconscious) --> fatal
Controversial symptoms
–  Arthritis
–  Migraine
–  Glue ear
–  Irritable bowel syndrome
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 Celiac disease
§ an immune-mediated disease that causes
damage to
ê The gastrointestinal tract,
ê Central nervous system, and
ê Other organs

§ The current reccommended treatment is

avoidance of glutens in foods that are
associated with celiac disease

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 •  food allergy and food intolerance easier to
generate in atopic syndrome patients :
combination of very common diseases such as
ü rhinitis (nose)
ü conjuntivitis (eyes)
ü eczema
ü asthma

•  food allergy and food intolerance commonly

inherited in the family;
•  At present, there is no cure for food allergies
•  A food allergic consumer must avoid the food to
which the consumer is allergic
•  à oral immunotherapy
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 Illegal Additives

Name Food associated

Boric acid/borate/borax meatball, wet-noodle, lontong

Salicylic acid and salta
Diethylpyrocarbonate
Dulsin
Calcium chlorate
Chloramphenicol aquacultured shrimp (antibiotics)
Nitrofuran aquacultured shrimp (antibiotics)
Formaline meatball, wet-noodle, tofu
Rhodamin B chips/crackers, street foods
Methanyl yellow chips/crackers, street foods

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 Physical Hazards and Common
Sources (Corlett, 1991)

Material Injury potential Sources

Glass Cuts, bleeding; may Bottles, jars, lights,
require surgery to find or fixtures, utensils,
remove gauge covers
Wood Cuts, infection, choking; Fields, pallets, boxes,
may require surgery to buildings
find or remove

Stones Choking, broken teeth Fields, buildings

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 Physical Hazards and Common
Sources (Corlett, 1991)

Material Injury potential Sources

Metal Cuts, infection; may Machinery, fields,
require surgery to wire, employees
remove
Insects and Illness, trauma, choking Fields, plant post-
other filth process entry

Insulation Choking, long term if Building materials

asbestos

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 Physical Hazards and Common
Sources (Corlett, 1991)

Material Injury potential Sources

Bone Choking, trauma Fields, improper
plant processing

Plastic Choking, cuts, infection; Fields, plant

may require surgery to packaging materials,
remove pallets, employees
Personal Choking, cuts, broken employees
effects teeth; may require
surgery to remove

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 Study questions
1. What kind of heavy metals usually found in food and drink?
2. What are the sources of heavy metal contamination in food ?
3.  What kind of diseases usually associated with heavy metals?
4.  Which pesticide that is the most toxic and resistant to heat
processing ?
5.  What are styrene and vinyl chloride?
6.  How do they enter the food and drink? What kind of food
usually contain these components more likely?
7.  Describe how acrylamide form in food !
8.  What is the difference between food allergy and food
intolerance?
9.  What is celiac disease?
10.  Describe physical contaminant that may have high severity to
health !

• 
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 Thank you
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