Food adulteration

E. Corwin, EDH Consumer, 10—15 (Nov. 1976). Preventing Food Adulteration. Interesting background. 

Nahrungsmittel, n. food, foodstuff pi. provisions. -chemie, /. food chemistry, -chemi-ker, m. food chemist, -f schung, /. food adulteration, -kunde, /. (science of) nutrition. -untersuchung, /. examination or investigation of food food research- -verfal-schung, /. food adulteration. 

Tennessee s Department of Agriculture prohibits the use of DDT because its Food and Drug Law considers a food adulterated if it may have become contaminated. This is possible, it is alleged, when DDT is used. Knoxville s Health Bureau, on the other hand, permits the use of residual sprays, provided the food is protected from contamination, and the food must be pure and wholesome. ... 

Food drugs are generally controlled through a common administration i.e. FDA (Food Drugs Administration in various states/country). The main objective of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act is to make provision for the prevention of adulteration of food. The Act was passed in 1954 Rules under the Act were passed in 1955. 

In contrast to Western countries, concerns of consumer organizations in developing countries about food supply and consumers access to food are still high. This is due to the fact that for many third world consumers access to food is a matter of life and death. Food standards and regulations are minimal and in some cases even nonexistent in these countries, since the technological means to control food quality is often missing due to lack of funds. Food adulteration is therefore a common annoyance and danger to consumers healtli. 

Another cause of concern in the nineteenth century was food adulteration, especially the addition of colouring materials. In 1851 The Lancet set up the Analytical Sanitary Commission, whose main members were Arthur Hassall and Henry Letheby. The reports of the Commission showed that food was indeed being contaminated by poisonous additives. These findings led to the first Food and Drugs Act of 1860, and from the 1870s Local Authorities started to appoint public analysts.349... 

Kathmandu Post (2001) Food Adulteration, Editorial 7 May 2001. Mercantile Communications, Kathmandu. 

The Government of India enacted a Central legislation called the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA) which came into effect from 1st June 1955. This Act repealed all laws existing at that time in Indian States concerning food adulteration, a new edition was published 1981. 

An amendment of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules has been published in 1988 [53]. A new rule 64 BBB on the use of menthol has been inserted, limiting menthol in confectionery to 0.1 %. In addition to the prohibition of the use of... 

In 1983 the Food Law Nr. 281/1983 was proclaimed as the first unilateral law in this field for all Malaysian States. It is a frame work like general food laws in other countries governing food control, further forbidding food adulteration and danger against consumers health. 

Filby, F., History of Food Adulteration and Analysis, London, Geo. Allen Unwin, Ltd., 1934. 

The first general food adulteration statute in the world, indeed, was enacted by Masschusets in 1785.(6)... 

Anon., 2001. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 . Eastern Book Company, Lucknow, India. 

Root extracts of P. kurroa have been used to treat liver disorders, caused by the ever increasing environmental pollution, exposure to industrial toxicants, food adulteration, malnutrition, injudicious use of drugs, excessive consumption of alcohol and certain infections. Such disorders pose a major challenge in the health care programmes of any country. Presently, however, no effective therapy is available for the treatment of various liver ailments [5,6],... 

Leffmann, H. Starch sugar as a food adulterant. Jour. American Medical Ass n, Vol. 48, pp. 318-319. 

National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Program National Institute of Nutrition Prevention of Food Adulteration Act Thyroid-stimulating hormone United Nations International Children s Emergency Fund Union territory... 

Standards for production of iodized salt have been laid under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA). 

One of the applications of this method is in food authentication. Lopez-Calleja et al. (2007) used the real-time PCR method to quantitatively detect goat milk present in sheep milk based on the amplification of the 12S ribosomal RNA gene, in order to prevent this type of food adulteration [62]. Similarly, Chisholm et al. (2005) used the method to detect horse and donkey meat in commercial products [63]. They used primers designed for the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. This method, which enabled the detection of 1 pg donkey and 25 pg horse DNA templates, worked satisfactorily with model food samples. 

The two main reasons of food adulteration from plastic packaging materials are the following ... 

Proteins are perhaps the most sensitive indicator of food quality. This not only applies to the relevant issue of preventing food adulteration and fraud, as detected by the presence of foreign proteins or of undesired degradation products, but to the appreciation of the freshness of ingredients, of proper processing and handling, and of adequate storage. Most of these indicators may be derived from the analysis of proteins in food and of their modifications. 

Section des denrees alimentaires (et d hygiene) Food adulteration... 

Although the Raman effect was discovered in 1928 by Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, it has not until recently been applied to food adulteration problems (Baeten et al., 1996 Li-Chan, 1994 Ozaki et aL, 1992 Sadeghi-Jorabchi et al., 1990, 1991). Baeten et al. (1996) used FT-Raman which, they claim, produces fluorescence-free spectra, using a 1.064 pm laser. They were able to detect adulteration with soybean, corn and olive pomace with 100% accuracy down to 1% adulterant. In fact 780 nm excitation in a confocal instrument (Williams, 1994 Williams et al., 1994) produces excellent dispersive Raman spectra from olive oils in a wholly non-invasive fashion (N. Kaderbhai and the authors, unpublished observations). Baeten et al. (1996) comment that at present liquid and gas chromatography is the most accurate technique to determine adulteration, and it is this method that is the European Union adulteration standard (EC, 1991), but that FT-Raman has the potential for detecting adulterants beyond the limits of liquid and gas chromatography. 

Collins, E. J. T. (1993) Food adulteration and food safety in Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries. Food Policy, (April), 95-109. 

The nitrate content is also important for monitoring the food adulteration in dairy industry. 

Kelly, S., Hoogewerff, J (2004) Detection of food adulteration. Presentation at the NTTECRIME Workshop, WeUington, New Zealand, April 2,2004. 

Whenever food adulteration is suspected, it should be remembered that PCR is a technique of extraordinary sensitivity. Any result must be quantified, the possibility of accidental contamination must always be considered. 

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