Food Standards and Quality Control

Food Standard and Quality Control

Lesson 18 : Food Toxicants - Contaminants

Processing Contaminants

Food processing employs many techniques in order to ensure our foodstuffs are free of spoilage related organisms. However, these processing measures themselves may produce chemical by-products that are harmful to human health. Common processing contaminants are:

• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• Nitrosamines
• Chloropropanols/Monochloropropanediol (3-MCPD )
• Semicarbazide