FOOD TOXINS

Presented by: Malobika

Saikia
M.Sc 1st year
What are Food toxins?
 Food toxins can naturally be found in plant or
animals that have ingested toxins. They can
also result from human activities introducing
contaminants such as pesticides,
environmental pollutants or veterinary drugs.
 They can be present in a wide range of foods,
including organic food. They require strict
monitoring by the health authorities and
information to the population on good food
practices like food washing, preservation,
cooking methods as well as awareness of
fishing and gathering in the wild).
NATURAL TOXINS: TOXICANTS IN
PLANT FOODS
 Plants are capable of synthesizing a multitude of
chemicals that cause toxic reactions when
consumed by men or animals.
 For example pulses contain a number of toxic
substances such as protease inhibitors,
lathyrogens, flavism agents, cyanogens,
haemaglutinins and saponins. Some of these toxins
can are also present in other foods such as
Saponins are present in spinach and asparagus.
Goitrogens are present in cabbage and related
species.
 Oxalic acid may also cause oxalic poisoning in
certain individuals.
NATURAL TOXINS: TOXICANTS IN
ANIMAL FOODS
 Tissues of marine forms of animals contain
toxic chemicals and cause adverse responses
when eaten.
 About 500 species of marine fishes are known
to be poisonous (ichthyotoxism) when eaten
and many of these are among edible
varieties.
 The toxic agents arise from blue-green algae
and are then passed directly to herbivorous
fish and indirectly to carnivorous species.
NATURAL TOXINS: MICROBIAL
TOXINS
 Some micro organisms promote desirable
changes in foods under controlled conditions
like the use of yeasts in making bread and
alcoholic beverages, and moulds and
bacteria in making cheese and fermented
dairy products.
 However, they also cause harmful effects and
are involved in most cases of food spoilage.
 Some microbial toxins are as follows:
MYCOTOXINS

TOXIN CAUSED BY FOOD ITEMS DISEASE

AFFECTED CAUSED
MYCOTOXIN Certain The moulds Nephropathy
moulds grow on a , various
(fungi) variety of types of
Cereals, nuts, cancer,
spices, dried hepatic
fruits, apples, diseases,
often under immune and
warm and neurological
humid disorders.
conditions.
AFLATOXINS
TOXIN CAUSED FOOD DISEASES
BY ITEMS CAUSED
AFFECTED
AFLATOXINS Mycotoxins Aspergillus Aflatoxin
produced by develop in toxicity may
some moulds, many foods result in
Aspergillus like Acute liver
flavis or A. Groundnuts injury,
parasiticus, and nausea,
are known as cottonseeds, vomiting,
aflatoxins. and their abdominal
cakes and pain, Liver
flour. cancer.
TOXIN CAUSED BY FOOD ITEMS DISEASE CAUSED
AFFECTED

BACTERIAL
Clostridium
botulinum toxin.
TOXINS
Bacteria
Clostridium
Green beans,
spinach,
BOTULISM,
paralysis of
botulinum mushrooms, muscles,
beets, canned difficulty in
tuna fish, talking and
smoked fish, swallowing.
meat products
like ham and
sausages.
Staphylococcus Bacteria Meat and dairy Staphylococcal
aureus toxin. Staphylococcus products food poisoning,
aureus skin infections,
pneumonia etc.
Typhoid toxin Salmonella typhi Water, meat Typhoid fever,
products, fruits. diarrhoea,
vomiting etc.
 MUSHROOM TOXIN: Mainly polypeptides
are present. It is safe to consume
cultivated mushrooms only. All white
mushrooms are not edible and colourful
mushrooms should be avoided.
TOXINS RESULTING FROM
CONTAMINATION DURING HUMAN
ACTIVITIES
 1. METAL CONTAMINANTS: Metals are one
of the many unintentional contaminants
of foods. They find their way into foods
through air, water, soil, industrial pollution
and many other routes. Metals when
present beyond small quantities are toxic.
Such as-
 MERCURY, CADMIUM, ARSENIC, LEAD etc.
THANK YOU