FOOD & PACKAGING CONTAMINANTS - TRC Canada · curing agent for flesh foods was the major source of these trace compounds in the diet. Subsequent research has clearly shown that other

F O O D &P A C K A G I N G

C O N T A M I N A N T S

W W W . T R C - C A N A D A . C O M

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Food contamination refers to the presence in food of harmful chemicals and microorganisms, which can

cause consumer illness. Chemical contaminants present in foods are often unaffected by thermal processing

(unlike most microbiological agents). The food quality is continuously and routinely monitored by the food

analysis and the labs associated with food safety. Chemical contaminants can be classified according to the

source of contamination and the mechanism by which they enter the food product. Food safety continues to

be a major focus of food analysis and research. Many analytical labs are now investigating a wide array of

questions regarding authenticating the safety claims of the packaged foods. We are providing products

which will help the analytical chemists to explore some current trends in food analysis and food

authentication.

FOOD PROCESSING &PACKAGING CONTAMINANTS

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Acrylamide is a chemical that can form in some foods during high-temperature

cooking processes, such as frying, roasting, and baking. Acrylamide in food

forms from sugars and an amino acid that are naturally present in food; it does

not come from food packaging or the environment. Since acrylamide is formed

through cooking, acrylamide levels in cooked organic foods should be similar to

levels in cooked non-organic foods.

REFERENCE READING

1. Becalski A. Determination of acrylamide in various food matrices:

evaluation of LC and GC mass spectrometric methods. Adv Exp Med Biol.

2005;561:271-84.

2. Kim B. Development of a certified reference material for the determination

of acrylamide in potato chips. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2010 Sep;398(2):1035-42.

3. T. Wenzl. Analytical methods for the determination of acrylamide in food

products: a review. Food Additives & Contaminants Vol. 20 , Iss. 10,2003

ACRYLAMIDE

Food safety continues tobe a major focus of foodanalysis and research.Many analytical labs arenow investigating a widearray of questionsregarding authenticatingthe safety claims of thepackaged foods. We areproviding products whichwill help the analyticalchemists to explore somecurrent trends in foodanalysis and foodauthentication.

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Phthalate Esters are industrial chemicals that are widely used as plasticizers in

polyvinyl chloride resins. Environmental fate processes of phthalic acid esters

are driven mainly by their hydrophobicities and ability to partition and adsorb

to organic phases. PAEs are constantly added to plastics used in food grade

preparations to increase the flexibility, transparency, durability and longevity.

PHTHALATEESTERS


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Bisphenol is used in massive amounts in the production of synthetic polymers and

thermal paper. It is the chemical building block that is used primarily to make

polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastic is a lightweight,

high-performance plastic that possesses a unique balance of toughness, optical

clarity, high heat resistance, and excellent electrical resistance. In vitro and in

vivo studies done on these chemicals show toxic, endocrine, and mutagenic action

apart from elevated risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer and coronary heart diseases.

bisphenol


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(BPA, BPE, BADGE, BEFDGE, NOGE)

REFERENCE READING

1. Borrell B. Toxicology: The big test for bisphenol A. Nature. 2010 Apr 22; 464

(7292) : 1122-4

2. Gilles Provencher. Determination of bisphenol A, triclosan and their metabolites

in human urine using isotope-dilution liquid chromatography–tandem mass

spectrometry. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2016

May;33(5):893-904

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Semicarbazide is a metabolite of nitrofurane, used as indicator to detect the use of

nitrofurazone in food producing animals. It is a by-product of azodicarbonamide

used for the production of foamed lining in seals and can contaminate the food

through its carcinogenic properties.

SEMICARBAZIDE &BENZENE


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REFERENCE READING

1. Pascal Mottier. Quantitative determination of four nitrofuran metabolites in

meat by isotope dilution liquid chromatography–electrospray ionisation–tandem

mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography A. Volume 1067, Issues 1–2, 4

March 2005, Pages 85–91

2. Dirk W. Lachenmeier. Benzene Contamination in Heat-Treated Carrot Products

Including Baby Foods. The Open Toxicology Journal, 2010, 4, 39-42

Benzene is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as

a Group 1 human carcinogen. Most of the human exposure to benzene occurs by

inhalation but consumption of contaminated foods and water also play a role. It

may form in food by some cooking processes, thermal decomposition of food

components, additives, food irradiation, and preservative decomposition such as

benzoate decomposition

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It has been well established that human foods may contain trace amounts of

carcinogenic N-nitrosamines. Originally, it was thought that the use of nitrite as a

curing agent for flesh foods was the major source of these trace compounds in the

diet. Subsequent research has clearly shown that other processing and packaging

procedures can also introduce trace amounts of these carcinogens into foods.

These procedures include drying foods in direct flame heated air, migration from

food contact surfaces and direct addition as contaminants.

Nitrosamines


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REFERENCE READING

1. Groenen PJ. Determination of eight volatile nitrosamines in thirty cured meat

products with capillary gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry:

the presence of nitrosodiethylamine and the absence of nitrosopyrrolidineMarch

2005, Pages 85–91. IARC Scientific Publications [1976(14):321-331]

2. William A. Mitch. Characterization and Fate of N-Nitrosodimethylamine

Precursors in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants. Environ. Sci. Technol.,

2004, 38 (5), pp 1445–1454

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Furan is a colorless, volatile liquid used in some chemical manufacturing

industries. Furan has occasionally been reported to be found in foods. Now

scientists at FDA have discovered that furan forms in some foods more commonly

than previously thought. This discovery is likely a result of our ability to detect

compounds at exceedingly low levels with the latest analytical instruments rather

than a change in the presence of furan. The scientists think the furan forms in the

food during traditional heat treatment techniques, such as cooking, jarring, and

canning.

FURAN


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REFERENCE READING

1. A. Becalski. Development of an analytical method and survey of foods for furan,

2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran with estimated exposure. Food Additives &

Contaminants: Part A Vol. 27 , Iss. 6,2010

2. Stefania Vichi. Determination of volatile thiols in roasted coffee by

derivatization and liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometric

analysis. Food Research International Volume 64, October 2014, Pages 610–617

3. Xuesong Huang. A Novel Method for Determination of Furan Partition

Coefficient in Water, Coffee and Soy Sauce by MHE/SIFT-MS. J Exp Food Chem

1:103, 2015.

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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, also polyaromatic hydrocarbons) are

hydrocarbons—organic compounds containing only carbon and hydrogen—that

are composed of multiple aromatic rings. For the general population in developed

countries, the diet is otherwise the dominant source of PAH exposure, particularly

from smoking or grilling meat or consuming PAHs deposited on plant foods,

especially broad-leafed vegetables, during growth. PAHs are typically at low

concentrations in drinking water.

PAH's


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PAH's


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REFERENCE READING

1. Thomas Wenzl. Analytical methods for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

in food and the environment needed for new food legislation in the European

Union. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry. Volume 25, Issue 7, 2006.

2. Bienvenida Gilbert-López. Simultaneous testing of multiclass organic

contaminants in food and environment by liquid chromatography/dielectric

barrier discharge ionization-mass spectrometry. Analyst, 2012,137, 5403-5410

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3-MCPD (3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol or 3-chloropropane-1,2-diol) is an organic

chemical compound which is carcinogenic and highly suspected to be genotoxic in

humans, has male anti-fertility effects, and is a chemical byproduct which may be

formed in foods, the most commonly found member of chemical contaminants

known as chloropropanols. It is primarily created in foods by protein hydrolysis by

adding hydrochloric acid at high temperature to speed up the breakdown of

proteins into amino acids. Under these conditions, chloride can react with the

glycerol backbone of lipids to produce 3-MCPD. 3-MCPD can also occur in foods,

which have been in contact with materials containing epichlorohydrin-based wet-

strength resins, which are used in the production of some tea bags and sausage

casings.

3-mcpd


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REFERENCE READING

1. R. Jędrkiewicz. Determination of 3-MCPD and 2-MCPD esters in edible oils, fish

oils and lipid fractions of margarines available on Polish market. Food Control

Volume 59, January 2016, Pages 487–492

2. Kazuo Koyama. Collaborative Study of an Indirect Enzymatic Method for the

Simultaneous Analysis of 3-MCPD, 2-MCPD, and Glycidyl Esters in Edible Oil.

Journal of Oleo Science Vol. 65 (2016) No. 7 p. 557-568

3. Corinne Marc. Determination of 3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol and 2-

Monochloropropane-1,3-diol (MCPD) Esters and Glycidyl Esters by Microwave

Extraction in Different Foodstuffs. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2016, 64 (21), pp 4353–4361

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FOOD & PACKAGING CONTAMINANTS - TRC Canada · curing agent for flesh foods was the major source of these trace compounds in the diet. Subsequent research has clearly shown that other