Food testing

Chase GW and Long AR (1997) Nutritional Metrology, PART 4, The Role of a Zero Control Reference Material. Food Testing and Analysis, Jun/Jul 1997, 3 30-33. 

Fox A (2000) AOAC International Offers Leadership in Proficiency Testing. Food Testing and Analysis, 5(6) 7-g. 

Wolf WR and Iyengar V (1996) Nutritional metrology Food-based reference materials. Food Testing Analysis 2(6) 27-3i. 

Further insight on the frequency of multiple residues is evident in Table 14.4, which shows the number of residues found per sample for selected foods tested in 2004 by the PDP. Conventional apples were found to contain, on average, 3.6 residues, while the one positive organic sample had a very minute level of the post-harvest fungicide thiabendazole. The level of residue found in the one positive organic apple sample was 0.0002 parts per million, while the mean thiabendazole residue found in 641 positive conventional samples was 0.43 ppm, over 2100 times higher than the level found in the organic sample. 

The term "standard" is not meant to denote a digestion procedure which should be routinely used to determine potentially available calcium. Since the number of foods tested so far is limited, it will be more useful to think of the "standard" procedure as a set of conditions to be used to see how well we understand food chemistry and calcium solubility in the gastrointestinal environment. It should be used for measuring the relative solubility of calcium from foods and meals, but mostly in the context of comparisons with in vivo results to define factors which require further study. 

Overall, in 234 ready-to-eat foods tested 37 times each as part of the FDA Total Diet Studies from 1982 to 1991, endrin was found only 26 times at an average concentration of 0.0027 pg/g (2.7 ppb) in 9 different foods broccoli, cantaloupe, collards, cucumbers, onion rings, dill pickles, pumpkin pie, summer squash, and winter squash (KAN-DO Office and Pesticides Team 1995). Concentrations ranged from 0.0011 pg/g (1.1 ppb) (broccoli) to 0.0041 pg/g (4.1 ppb) (summer squash). In a summary of 1985-91 FDA pesticide residue findings, endrin was not reported in more than 10,000 surveillance samples of domestic and imported foods that may be eaten by infants or children, or in more than 4,000 analyses of Total Diet Study foods eaten by infants and children (Yess et al. 1993). 

Whilst specifically developed for the clinical market, the Cobas Fara II has many other areas of apphcation, for example in environmental testing, food testing and animal toxicology. 

Utility System (or Utility Test, or Food Test) - An evaluation of a functional property that mimics food preparation in all its particulars. 

Special Food Tests. These may be both Model Tests and Utility Tests. Following the application of the tests above, a knowledgeable reasearcher will be able to assess with some certainty which of the food system Model Tests are worthwhile. It has frequently been noticed that regardless of mediocre results in the Model Tests, many researchers will still try to evaluate their products in the more specialized food system Model Tests, in which the tested product will inevitably fail. The tests include meat emulsion system tests, extruded product tests, baking system tests, dairy product tests, and coacervates. 

In addition, faulty food testing procedures may create an impression that residues are more prevalent than is actually the case. It has been suggested, without supporting evidence, that cases of premature menarche observed in Puerto Rico were a result of growth hormone residues in chickens (8). 

Good agreement with results from AOAC International microfluorometric method for all foods tested. 

Given these facts, what impact do synthetic chemicals have on an individual s health The FDA s answer would be that there is no health effect. Why Because the concentrations found in the foods tested by the FDA do not exceed levels deemed safe by the Environmental Protection Agency. 

If parents are not satisfied with the level of contaminants in some of the foods tested by the FDA, they have two basic choices. They can either select organic child and infant products or prepare child and infant food from organic products. 

When reviewing all of the previous data, the FDA detected synthetic chemicals in virtually all the foods tested. Only corn, ham (luncheon), pineapple (canned), pinto beans, kidney beans, and chicken noodle soup were shown not to be contaminated. The fact that virtually every food we eat has been shown to be contaminated raises the following question. What synthetic chemicals are we most likely going to be exposed to if we consume a balanced diet of dairy, fruits, grains, protein, and vegetable products The answer to this question is discussed in Chapter 3. 

When there was no benzophenone in the packaging there was none detected in the food. However, there was not a clear numerical correlation between levels of benzophenone in cartonboard and food. Differences in the composition of the foods tested may have been important in this respect, along with other factors such as the storage time, the storage temperature, the extent of any direct contact made between the food and the package, and the presence or absence of any barrier material between the printed cartonboard and the food. 

Lopez-Avila, V., C. Charan, and J.M. Van Emon (1996). Quick determination of pesticides in foods by SFE-ELISA. Food Testing Anal., 2 28-37. 

Identify mutagens in food, test them for carcinogenicity where feasible, minimize their concentration in food. 

---