Foodstuffs, lead

Figure 12-2. Role of the respiratory chain of mitochondria in the conversion of food energy to ATP. Oxidation of the major foodstuffs leads to the generation of reducing equivalents (2H) that are collected by the respiratory chain for oxidation and coupled generation of ATP.

The reducing action of sulphurous acid and sulphites in solution leads to their use as mild bleaching agents (for example magenta and some natural dyes, such as indigo, and the yellow dye in wool and straw are bleached). They are also used as a preservative for fruit and other foodstuffs for this reason. Other uses are to remove chlorine from fabrics after bleaching and in photography. 

Food Processing. One of the first appHcations of RO was ia the food processiag (qv) iadustry. The primary advantage of RO over the traditionally used processes ia the food iadustry is that RO operates at low temperatures which can prevent the denaturation of some materials used ia foodstuffs. Because high temperatures are not required, energy costs are reduced as well. Moreover, RO is relatively simple ia terms of the equipment design. These factors lead ultimately to a reduction ia capital and operating costs, accompanied by an iacrease ia product quaUty. 

Both steel and copper vessels may be lined with thin silver sheets in the same way as for homogeneous lead lining. As silver is extremely resistant to most organic acids at all concentrations and temperatures, it is used widely for handling foodstuffs and pharmaceutical products where nontoxicity and... 

Soldered joints present their own characteristic corrosion problems usually in the form of dissimilar metal attack often aided by inadequate flux removal after soldering. Such joints have always been a source of concern to the electrical industry. Lead-containing solders must be used with caution for some types of electrical connection since PbfOHjj.PbCOj may be found as a corrosion product and can interrupt current flow. Indium has been found to be a useful addition to Sn-Pb solders to improve their corrosion resistanceHowever, in view of the toxicity of lead and its alloys, the use of lead solders, particularly in contact with potable waters and foodstuff s, is likely to decline. 

Food coloring is restricted by law to prevent misuse that may lead to deception of consumers related to reduced value or usability. For this purpose, the European Union implemented food colorant guidelines in 1994 based on the understanding that food coloration presents a technological need. While European Parliament and Council Directive 94/36/EC lists colors and their uses in food, the European Commission Directive 95/45/EC contains specific purity criteria for colors in foodstuffs, e.g., a maximal lead content of 20 ppm. " ... 

The quantity, quality and purity of the template DNA are important factors in successful PGR amplification. The PGR is an extremely sensitive method capable of detecting trace amounts of DNA in a crop or food sample, so PGR amplification is possible even if a very small quantity of DNA is isolated from the sample. DNA quality can be compromised in highly processed foods such as pastries, breakfast cereals, ready-to-eat meals or food additives owing to the DNA-degrading action of some manufacturing processes. DNA purity is a concern when substances that inhibit the PGR are present in the sample. For example, cocoa-containing foodstuffs contain high levels of plant secondary metabolites, which can lead to irreversible inhibition of the PGR. It is important that these substances are removed prior to PGR amplification. Extraction and purification protocols must be optimized for each type of sample. 

Therefore, the use of mineral oil-reduced RCP grades, e.g. free of newspapers, for food packaging will lead of course to a reduction of the mineral oil contamination and in consequence of the migration problem into foodstuff. However, in general, there will still exist a permanent input of mineral oil from the packaging material production not intended to be used for non-food packaging. The mineral... 

A common form of EDTA used as a preservative is calcium disodium EDTA (CaNa2EDTA). What metals will this form of the sequestrant scavenge effectively The dissolution of the solid will yield calcium ions, sodium ions, and the EDTA anion. Any metal more effectively complexed than calcium will be readily scavenged, including all ions listed in Table 9.1 except silver (Ag+) and magnesium (Mg2+). (In the absence of the calcium counterion, as in the case of the acid form of EDTA, chelation of calcium in the body can occur. In fact, EDTA administered orally is an FDA-approved treatment for calcium deposits in the bloodstream that lead to cardiovascular disease.) Citric acid (Fig. 9.3.3) is another sequestrant of metal ions in foodstuffs. 

There are two main types of proficiency testing scheme. First, there are those set up to assess the competence of a group of laboratories to undertake a very specific analysis, e.g. lead in blood or the number of asbestos fibres in air collected on membrane filters. Secondly, there are those schemes used to evaluate the performance of laboratories across a certain sector for a particular type of analysis. Because of the wide range of possible analyte/matrix combinations it is not practicable to assess the performance of laboratories when analysing all the possible sample types. Instead, a representative cross-section of analyses is chosen (e.g. determination of different pesticide residues in a range of foodstuffs or the determination of trace levels of metals in water samples). 

Pb excess Armenia 25-fold increasing Pb content in Mountain Kastanozems and Forest Brunozems (50-1,700 ppm). 7-fold increase of Pb content in plant species (0.5-11.6 ppm). 2-10-fold increase of Pb in foodstuffs Daily human food intake of Pb is 0.7-1.0 mg/day. Pb accumulation leads to endemic diseases of central nervous system... 

The most widely studied deformable systems are emulsions. These can come in many forms, with oil in water (O/W) and water in oil (W/O) the most commonly encountered. However, there are multiple emulsions where oil or water droplets become trapped inside another drop such that they are W/O/W or O/W/O. Silicone oils can become incompatible at certain molecular weights and with different chemical substitutions and this can lead to oil in oil emulsions O/O. At high concentrations, typical of some pharmaceutical creams, cosmetics and foodstuffs the droplets are in contact and deform. Volume fractions in excess of 0.90 can be achieved. The drops are separated by thin surfactant films. Selfbodied systems are multicomponent systems in which the dispersion is a mixture of droplets and precipitated organic species such as a long chain alcohol. The solids can form part of the stabilising layer - these are called Pickering emulsions. 

Much of the early work which would lead to the identification of proteins as defined chemical entities started from observations on enzymes, either those involved in fermentation or on the characterization of components in gastric secretions which powerfully catalyzed the hydrolysis of different foodstuffs. As well as the digestive enzymes, a number of relatively pure proteins could be isolated from natural sources where they made up the major component (Table 1). Because of the importance and difficulty of isolating pure proteins and demonstrating their homogeneity, functionally active and relatively abundant... 

Determination of the roles of microelements and the human daily requirements can be very difficult due to their low concentrations in the human body and problems connected with the elimination of their constant inflow. Throughout the evolution process, the human body developed mechanisms to regulate the absorption of microelements and balance their levels within required ranges. Therefore, human bodies are adjusted to the natural levels at which those elements are present in the non-polluted environment and in non-contaminated foodstuffs. However, human industrial and economic activities are frequently and widely disturbing the environmental balance and leading to contamination of the environment, including foods, with trace elements. 

Exposure of humans to perchlorate via foodstuffs and drinking water has been documented [241]. Urine, breast milk, amniotic fluid, saliva, and blood have been used as matrices in biomonitoring of human exposures to perchlorate [233, 242-253] (Table 10). Assessment of human exposures to perchlorate is important, since this compound blocks iodine uptake in the thyroid gland, which can lead to a decrease in the production of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) essential for neurodevelopment [260]. 

Oxidation of nicotine with chromic acid led to the isolation of pyridine-3-carboxylic acid, which was given the trivial name nicotinic acid. We now find that nicotinic acid derivatives, especially nicotinamide, are biochemically important. Nicotinic acid (niacin) is termed vitamin B3, though nicotinamide is also included under the umbrella term vitamin B3 and is the preferred material for dietary supplements. It is common practice to enrich many foodstuffs, including bread, flour, corn, and rice products. Deficiency in nicotinamide leads to pellagra, which manifests itself in diarrhoea, dermatitis, and dementia. 

In order to determine the exposure of a population, it is necessary to have data about the activities that can lead to an exposure. These data are called exposure factors. They are generally drawn from the scientific literature or governmental statistics. Eor example, exposure factors may be information about amount of various foodstuffs eaten, breathing rates, or time spent for various activities, e.g., showering or car-driving. The main U.S. and EU sources of exposure factors will be described in the following text, and examples of human exposure factors are addressed in more detail in Section 7.3. 

Figure 3.3 shows a typical freezing curve which results when heat is removed at a continuous rate from foodstuffs and the temperature decreases. The curve has three zones first, the removal of sensible heat from the food between the initial temperature and the freezing temperature second, the removal of the latent heat of fusion leading to a change of state and the formation of ice crystals and third, further sensible heat removal down to the required storage temperature. A number of features of the freezing curve require explanation. Whilst... 

In 1998 the EU Commission within the Commission Decision 199/217/EEC published an inventory of flavouring substances used in the EU. This inventory (including its amendments) lists most of the flavouring substances which are subject to evaluation, leading to a positive list of flavouring substances to be used in foodstuffs in the EU [8]. 

While in ancient times, the sensorial properties of a flavour for foodstuffs were of major importance, modern flavours have to perform like multifunctional systems. Physical form, chemical and mechanical stability and controlled release mechanisms are meanwhile essential criteria for the flavour quality. All these properties have to be addressed by a flavourist in close cooperation with technologists. Therefore, knowledge about food product properties must lead to a careful and intelligent evaluation of the flavour system as an important driver for the success of the final product. 

Specific recommendations on contaminants (e.g., maximum levels of lead, cadmium or mercury) in foodstuffs are summarized in the European Union Regulations.9 The specifications concerning trace elements in foods and food additives are As < 3mgkg 1, Pb < lOmgkg-1, and Hg and Cd < lmgkg-1. 

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