Exercise 4:

Filth and Physical Contaminants

in Food

Jaime Raphael Hernandez, Maria Regina Grace Katigbak, and Lia Raphaelle Lim
S-1L

Date Performed: February 11, 2019

Date Submitted: February 18, 2019

Submitted to: Prof. Ara Fatima C. Algar

Introduction

Food safety refers to all the procedures done to keep the foods sold are safe to eat. It
requires all the steps in the food chain to reduce risk of contamination (McGrath, 2018). One way to
ensure the safety of food is to maintain cleanliness of the food and processing it will undergo; in this
way, growth of microorganisms will be prevented and the presence of foreign materials will be
eliminated.

Filth is any foreign material caused by animal contamination or any other objectionable
matter contributed by insanitary conditions (Gorham, 1974). There are numerous ways to isolate
and examine filths according to the type of filth it is. First type is the sieving method, where the
sieve mesh of various sizes is used to separate filth from food products according to its particle size
(Retsch, n.d.). This method could be used for isolation filths in sugar, salt, pepper, or ginger powder.
Another method used in filth determination is the sedimentation method. Sedimentation is the
method used to separate heavy filth based on different densities of filth, food particles, and
immersion liquids (Moser, 2013). Heavy filths like insect excreta pellets and rodent excreta pellets.
Another method is called the flotation method. It is where light filth is separated from food
products. Light filths are lipophilic or oleophilic which involve an extraction oil into the food sample
while the food materials are made up of mostly hydrophilic and stay in water phase (Moser, 2013).
Example of light filths are whole insects, rodent hair, and insect fragments.

The objectives of the exercise are the following:

1. To be able to isolate filth using methods specific to its different types; and
2. To determine the extraneous materials present in raw ingredients and processed food.
Materials and Methods

Sieving Method

Ground Spices

A 20-gram ground black pepper was sifted through a No. 20 sieve. The materials remained
on the sieve was mounted on a slide and observed under HPO.

Sugar and Salt

A 10-gram brown sugar was dissolved in 100 mL distilled water. The remains on the filter
paper used for the solution was examined under the microscope. This was also done for rock salt.

Sedimentation Method

An 87.5-mL petroleum ether was added in a 25-gram whole black pepper. The solution was
de-fat through boiling and petroleum ether was decanted . The filth was then transferred to an
ashless filter paper. The paper was ignited in a crucible since there is a substantial amount of filth in
the sample.

Flotation Method

A 1500-mL of 30% HCl solution was added to a 12.5-gram flour. Once digested using an
autoclave, the aqueous layer was drained in a separatory funnel. The oil layer was then added with
HCl and boiled on a hot plate. The filter was examined under the microscope.

Data and Results

Sedimentation Method

Table 4.1 Filth Analysis by Sedimentation Method

Trial 1

a. Weight of tared crucible, g 39.780

b. Weight of crucible + sample

after ashing, g 39.8039

c. Weight residue (a-b), g 0.0239

 Weight residue per 100g of
sample 0.0956

Average ± d 0.00

Note: sample weight, g = 25.533

Discussion

Sugar, salt, and ground spices filth were detected using the sieving method. These filth
samples are considered as sieved filth, having specific particles sizes that are separated
quantitatively through a specific mesh with the appropriate size. Through this method, ground
spices that are passed through a no. 20 mesh sieve. After sieving all samples, the residue left on the
sieve are examined microscopically. As seen in the figure, generally large particles in the sugar
sample were left to be examined. With this method, physical contaminants were isolated. These
foreign objects can cause a hazard to the consumer which is why it is essential to for a food product
to go through filth analysis.

In isolating heavy filth on whole black pepper , the sedimentation method was used. The use
of this technique will efficiently isolate food particles, immersion liquids, and filth with different
densities. With the use of Pet. Ether, the oily surface of on the food particle where possible filth may
be attached to separated. Then, the immersion solution, chloroform:carbon tetrachloride, is used to
allow dense products, which are the filth, to settle and the less dense, the sample, to float (Nielsen,
1998). The sample is then easily decanted and separated from the filth. Then, oven drying was done
using an ashless filter paper in a tared crucible to know the actual weight of the filth. In the black
pepper sample, 0.0239g of the heavy filth remained. From this, it is estimated that in a 100g sample,
.0935g of it are filth. According to Malawi Bureau of Standards, the maximum amount of extraneous
matter found in whole black pepper should be 2.5% w/w or less. With this, the whole black pepper
sample is still acceptable, however stricter imposition of good manufacturing practices should be
imposed to further reduce the amount of filth in a sample.

In the floatation method, light filth can be determined. In this exercise, banana flour filth
was identified by adding 30% HCl to digest the flour sample and was placed on a hot plated. Mineral
oil was added and using a separatory funnel, the aqueous layer with the water soluble sample was
drained while the non-aqueous layer was transferred to a beaker with HCl and was boiled on a hot
plate and then examined microscopically. The filth can be seen floating in the non-aqueous layer
since it is light. It is mandatory to view this type of filth microscopically because they cannot be seen
by the naked eye. Referring to the figure, the banana flour filth under LPO is present.
Summary and Conclusion

Filth from brown sugar, rock salt, and ground spices were isolated using sieving method. The
presence of filth in a given 25g sample of whole black pepper was determined using sedimentation
method. For light filth, floatation method was used on banana flour to determine the presence of
filth. Based on the results, the brown sugar contained extraneous materials such as soil, rice hull,
sand and stones. For the brown sugar, the material present could be a wood fragment used during
processing. For the rock salt, the material remained in the residue could just be an undissolved salt.
For the 25g sample of whole black pepper, there was filth found since there is a significant amount
of filth per 100g sample in the tared crucibles. For the banana flour, light filth was present since
foreign materials were seen floating in the non-aqueous layer through the use of a microscope
under LPO.

The presence of filth may indicate that the manufacturing plant where it was produced does
not strictly comply with the current Good Manufacturing Practices. However, since the filth was just
observed under the microscope and quantification of it was not done for this part of the exercise, we
cannot be sure if the samples are still acceptable under the DAL.

The consumers must be careful of the food products they buy. Many indication like the
presence of filth may be helpful in determining whether that product is safe for consumption or not.
Standards are made readily available by the FDA so the maximum amount of filth in the food may be
known by the public.

Literature Cited

Gorham, J. (1974). Filth in Foods: Implications for Health. J. Milk Food Technology, 38(7), 409-418.

McGrath, N. (2018, August 10). What is food safety? Retrieved from eufic:
https://www.eufic.org/en/food-safety/article/what-is-food-safety

Moser, Bettina & Blog, Filth. (2013). ISO 17025 Accredited Food Testing Experts Food Safety Testing:
Food Filth? Get the Facts!.

Retsch. (n.d.). Sieve Analysis. Retrieved from Retsch: Milling Sieving Assisting:
https://www.retsch.com/applications/knowledge-base/sieve-analysis/

Nielsen, S. S. (1998). Analysis for Extraneous Matter. Instructor’s Manual for Food Analysis: Second
Edition, 84-85. doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-5439-4_23

Malawi Bureau of Standards. (n.d.). Specification for black pepper and white pepper (whole and
ground). Pepper (Piper Nigrum L.), Whole or Ground – Specification, Part 1: Black Pepper,
(1). doi:10.3403/00090166u