Food monitoring

The importance of immunoassays for food monitoring and ia the detection of diseases is expected to continue to grow as techniques and detection limits improve. In 1991, prices for most immunoassay kits ranged from 250 to 800 depending on the specific kit. 

Reviews and checks out analytical methods for pesticides submitted by registrants Monitors residues in imported and domestic food, including processed food Monitors residues in meat and poultry Conducts market basket surveys Monitors pesticides in fish and wildlife... 

Monitors pesticides and other contaminants in, primarily, fruits, and vegetables Monitors pesticides and other contaminants in raw and processed foods Monitor foodstuffs of specific interest to those states... 

Pesticides, including insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, are widely used in agriculture, and the potential for these residues to accumulate in food has led to concern for human safety. Pesticide residues may enter food animals from environmental sources or from treated or contaminated feeds. Immunoassay development for pesticides has had major impacts for pesticide registrations, analysis of residues in foods, monitoring environmental contamination, determination of occupational exposure, and integration of pest management. 

Contamination of aquatic foodstuffs by the radiocerium in fallout from weapons tests and effluents from nuclear power facilities is well documented. The concentrations of 144Ce in clam muscle and cuttlefish in Japan in 1960 exceeded those of Sr by one to two orders of magnitude and were somewhat greater than those measured in food crops (Nezu et al., 1962). Radiocerium was detected in only a few samples of aquatic foods monitored in the Central Pacific during nuclear device testing there in 1962 (Welander and Palumbo, 1963 ... 

There are some data on PFGS and PFGA in fish and water from European countries. However, there is a general lack of occurrence data for most foodstuffs. This evaluation, based on food consumption patterns of the EU countries Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK, must be regarded as provisional while waiting for the necessary food monitoring results to be gathered. 

Correct interpretation of the analytical results in the field of residue analysis is a matter of major importance. Truly positive, false-violative, false-positive, falsenegative, and truly negative are all types of test results that may be produced during food monitoring for drug residues. Truly positive is a positive test result... 

The core of the European food measurement infrastructure is the system of European Community Reference Laboratories (CRLs) for residues. They are designed to improve and implement analytical methodologies and the scientibc basis of residue control. The CRLs act via networks of National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) for residues in food monitoring activities. The accreditation infrastructure is also an important component of the European Acquis... 

The aims of the food-monitoring programme 1998-2003 were (i) to monitor the content and changes over time of trace elements in food sold on the Danish market and (ii) to estimate the intake of trace elements with the entire diet and also to evaluate if any associated health consequences were likely to occur. 

National Food Agency. Food monitoring in Denmark. Nutrients and contaminants 1983-1987. Publication No. 195, 1990. Available from Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Spborg. 

Food monitoring The monitoring and identification of antibiotics and hormones in milk and meat is associated with extensive and time-consuming methods. Micro arrays enable a fast and specific identification of a range of applied antibiotics. Further, microarrays should be consulted for the identification of different species of toxic moulds. 

From the analytical point of view, certified reference materials play a vital role in food monitoring, as they permit quality and measurement accuracy to be assessed. The need to apply such materials in monitoring the quality of speciation analysis measurements was justified by Quevauviller [182] and Emons [238]. 

One method of food monitoring is to sample individual foods at the point of production. This is most useful for relating contaminations to local conditions of... 

There are a few food monitoring studies in the literature that provide several examples of food contamination with 1,1,1-trichloroethane. The ubiquitous nature of 1,1,1-trichloroethane suggests that additional information in this area would allow a complete determination ofthe levels of human exposure to this chlorinated solvent. The release of 1,1,1-trichloroethane to the environment is well established since there are numerous studies that indicate the presence of this compound in environmental media. The quantity of 1,1,1-trichloroethane released to the environment during its production, formulation, and use is known. 1,1,1-Trichioroethane is listed on the Toxics Release Inventory. Methods for the disposal of 1,1,1-trichloroethane exist. Data on the removal of 1,1,1-trichloroethane from waste streams during biological treatment processes are lacking. Information on the amount of 1,1,1-trichloroethane disposed of annually is scarce. Rules and regulations... 

Important aspects of the extraction step for POP analysis in food and other biological matrices have been reviewed recently (7, 2), but this discussion is Anther extended here because it is still of great importance to elucidate sources of food contaminants such as dioxins, ftirans and PCBs in food (5). This type of method development requires substantial time and investment, however, any technical improvement will ultimately lead to cost reduction in food monitoring laboratories. 

The data presented for Croatia were obtained before the Serbian aggression on its territory. The areas contaminated by the damaged installations or stocks of chemicals may in future reflect higha contamination of food. This aspect should be taken into consideration in future studies. Some food monitoring measurements are in progress already. 

Although the application of these reporting rules to analytical data is logical, the levels of marine biotoxins in seafood tend to be highly variable. Therefore, the adequacy of the sample as tested to represent the lot of seafood in commerce or the marine area being harvested also needs to be taken into account. These issnes of sampling plans and nnmber of nnits that constimte a sample are further aspects of food monitoring that need to be considered. ... 

Readers are refered to the journal Food and Apicultural Immunology where a majority of the papers deal with food monitoring by immunoassay. 

Government of Western Australia (2005) Report on food monitoring program of aflatoxins in tree nuts, 2003-2004. Government of Western Australia, Department of Health. 

Numerous methods has been validated for the determination of anabolic agents (natural and synthetic estrogens, androgens, and gestagens) in edible tissues and in other samples that can be used for food monitoring such as urine, bile, and feces. These methods involve determination of analytes by LC-MS/MS, by GC-MS of suitable derivatives, or by immunological assay, with or without prior LC separation. Typical steps in the extraction, cleanup, and isolation of the analytes are the following ... 

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