Nutritional And Toxicological Consequences Of Food Processing

A variety of processing methods are used to make foods edible; to pennit storage; to alter texture and flavor; to sterilize and pasteurize food; and to destroy microorganisms and other toxins. These methods include baking, broiling, cooking, freezing, frying, and roasting. Many such efforts have both beneficial and harmful effects. It is a paradox of nature that the processing of foods can improve nutrition, quality, safety, and taste, and yet occasionally lead to the formation of anti-nutritional and toxic compounds. These multifaceted consequences of food processing arise from molecular interactions among nutrients with each other and with other food ingredients. Since beneficial and adverse effects of food processing are of increasing importance to food science, nutrition, and human health, and since many of the compounds formed have been shown to be potent carcinogens and growth inhibitors in animals, I organized a symposium broadly concerned with the nutritional and toxicological consequences of food processing. The symposium was sponsored by the American Institute of Nutrition (AIN) -Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) for its annual meeting in Washington, D.C., April 1-5, 1990. Invited speakers were asked to develop at least one of the following topics: 1. Nutrient-nonnutrient interactions between amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals, vitamins, tannins, fiber, natural toxicants, etc. 2. Effects of radiation. 3. Thermally induced formation of dietary mutagens, antimutagens, carcinogens, anticarcinogens, antioxidants, and growth inhibitors. 4. Effects of pH on nutritional value and safety.

Naturally occurring antinutrients and food toxicants, and those formed during food processing, adversely affect the nutri tional quality and safety of foods. Because of the need to improve food quality and safety by plant breeding, fortification with appropriate nutrients, and processing methods, and because of the growing concern about possible direct relationships between diet and diseases, research is needed to: (1) evaluate the nutritive quality and safety of crops and fortified, supplemented, and processed foods; (2) define conditions that favor or minimize the formation of nutritionally antagonistic and toxic compounds in foods; and (3) define the toxicology, metabolism, and mechanisms of the action of food ingredients and their metabolites. As scientists interested in improving the safety of the food supply, we are challenged to respond to the general need for exploring: (1) possible adverse consequences of antinutrients and food toxicants; and (2) factors which contribute to the formation and inactivation of undesirable compounds in foods. Medical research offers an excellent analogy. Studies on causes and mechanisms of disease processes are nearly always accompanied by parallel studies on preventive measures and cures. Such an approach offers the greatest possible benefits to the public.

The contents of this book are the proceedings of the ACS symposium, "Impact of Processing on Food Safety," which was held April 16-17, 1997, at the American Chemical Society National Meeting in San Francisco, CA. This symposium brought together re searchers from diverse backgrounds in academia, government, and industry. Twenty speakers discussed topics ranging from the regulatory aspects of food processing to the microbiological and chemical changes in food during processing. The main goal of food processing is to improve the microbial safety of food by de stroying pathogenic and spoilage organisms. Food processing can also improve food safety by destroying or eliminating naturally occurring toxins, chemical contaminants, and antinutritive factors. Unfortunately, processing can also cause chemical changes that result in the formation of toxic or antinutritive factors. The purpose of this book is to summarize our knowledge of both the beneficial and deleterious effects of processing. Chapter I con siders the consumer's perceptions about food contaminants and food processing. Chapter 2 summarizes the effects of traditional and nontraditional processing methods on microor ganisms in food. Chapters 3-6 review the effects of processing on lipids (fatty acids and cholesterol) in food. Changes in the nutritive value of vitamins and minerals as a result of processing are discussed in chapter 7. Chapter 8 concentrates on how processing reduces the allergenicity of some foods.

Food Safety and Toxicity examines the many problems and changes in food safety and toxicity. From a natural science viewpoint, this informative book takes on challenging and important topics impacting food researchers, regulators, producers, healthcare providers, educators, and consumers. It is organized into three main sections. Section 1 explores the relationship between the origin or formation of potentially toxic compounds and their eventual ingestion. Section 2 picks up with information on the potential consequences of this ingestion, and Section 3 concludes with the discussion of prevention and minimization of health risks. By emphasizing food safety, rather than nutritional toxicology, this book puts food hazards and their health risks in true perspective. It also explores the complementary roles of toxicology and epidemiology in studying associations between nutrition and adverse health effects and in assessing toxicological risks from food components in a deliberate manner. Food Safety and Toxicity, with clear, non-technical language and valuable insight, brings you up-to-date on the significant food safety issues confronting us today.

Process-Induced Food Toxicants combines the analytical, health, and risk management issues relating to all of the currently known processing-induced toxins that may be present in common foods. It considers the different processing methods used in the manufacture of foods, including thermal treatment, drying, fermentation, preservation, fat processing, and high hydrostatic pressure processing, and the potential contaminants for each method. The book discusses the analysis, formation, mitigation, health risks, and risk management of each hazardous compound. Also discussed are new technologies and the impact of processing on nutrients and allergens.

Food and Nutritional Toxicology provides a broad overview of the chemicals in food that have the potential to produce adverse health effects. The book covers the impact on human health of food containing environmental contaminants or natural toxicants, food additives, the migration of chemicals from packaging materials into foods, and the persisten

This handbook is intended to be a comprehensive reference for the various chemical aspects of foods and food products. Apart from the traditional knowledge, this book covers the most recent research and development of food chemistry in the areas of functional foods and nutraceuticals, organic and genetically modified foods, nonthermal food processing as well as nanotechnology. This handbook contains both the basic and advanced chemistry both for food research and its practical applications in various food related industries and businesses. This book is appropriate for undergraduates and postgraduates in the academics and professionals from the various disciplines and industries who are interested in applying knowledge of food chemistry in their respective fields.