Analysis of Food Toxins,

Veterinary Antibiotic Residues

and Related Health Issues

Thanuja Dissanayake
Research Scientist

2016/12/16
Industrial Technology Institute
Things to be discussed….

 What are Food Contaminants

 Health Related Issues
 Analysis of food contaminants

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Food Contaminants/Toxins
Human consumes 30 tons of food during his lifetime

Nutrients
Addtives
Contaminants

• Physical
• Chemical
• Microbiological

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Food Contaminants
Chemical Contaminants (රසායනික
දූෂක)

Unintentional Natural Toxins Intentional contaminants

Food Adulterants
(ආහාර බාලකාරක)
Sudan dyes
Endogenous Toxins Natural Veterinary Melamine
of Plant/animal Origin contaminants Antibiotic Low quality oils
(අන්තර්ජන්‍ය විෂ) Residues

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Food Contaminants
Unintentional Natural Toxins

Endogenous Toxins Natural Contaminants Veterinary Antibiotic

of Plant/animal Origin residues
(අන්තර්ජන්‍ය විෂ) Microbial Toxins
Secondary metabolites Aflatoxins Animal origin
(ද්වීතීක පරිවෘත්තීය ඵල) Ochratoxins food
Mushroom toxins/ Patuline contaminated
Amatoxin Plants mixed with toxic non- with veterinary
Biogenic ammines nutritive plant species Antibiotic
Cyanogenic glycosides residues
Animal origin food prepared
with toxic substances
ingested animals
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Endogenous Toxins of Plant/animal Origin
(අන්තර්ජන්‍ය විෂ)
Secondary metabolites (ද්වීතීක පරිවෘත්තීය
ඵල)
These substances may be growth inhibitors, neurotoxins, carcinogens, and
teratogens

Health related
Toxin Types of food Detoxification
issues

Glycoalkaloids Potatoes Acute Toxin is not

a gastrointestinal decreased by any
upset with of washing,
diarrhoea, vomiting soaking or cooking
and severe
abdominal pain

Green colouration
during sprouting

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Endogenous Toxins of Plant/animal Origin
Contd..
Health related
Toxin Types of food Detoxification
issues

Cyanogenic Cassava, Soya been Cyanide intoxication Peeling,

glycosides can washing in
include: running water
• rapid respiration, and cooking or
• drop in blood fermenting can
pressure, remove and
• rapid pulse, volatilize the
• dizziness, cyanide.
• headache,
Hidrogencyanide (HCN) • stomach pains,
is produced in peels with • vomiting,
hydrolytic degradation of • diarrhoea,
cyanogenic glycosides • mental confusion,
etc..

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Endogenous Toxins of Plant/animal Origin
Contd…

Health related
Toxin Types of food Detoxification
issues

Biogenic Fish, fermented foods, Toxin is not

ammines vegetables, meats •nausea decreased by
•respiratory any of
distress washing,
•hot flushes soaking or
•heart palpitation cooking
•Headache
•hypertension
Mainly caused by the •hypotension
enzymatic
decarboxylation of amino
acids by microorganism
origin

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Natural Contaminants - Microbial Toxins
 Mycotoxin contamination of food and feed highly depends on the
environmental conditions that lead to mold growth and toxin
production.
 The detectable presence of live molds in food, does not automatically
indicate that mycotoxins have been formed.
 On the other hand, the absence of visible molds in foods does not
necessarily mean there are no mycotoxins. The latter could have been
formed at an earlier stage prior to food processing.
 Because of their chemical stability, several mycotoxins persist during
food processing, while the molds are killed.

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Microbial Toxins - Aflatoxin
Produced by Aspergillus
Toxin Sp.
Types of food Health related issues Detoxification

Aflatoxin Nuts – Peanuts, Toxin is not

B1, B2, G1, Cashew nuts • Liver damage. decreased by
G2 Corn, Milk, Spices, • Liver cancer. any of washing,
Bakery Products, etc.. • Mental impairment. soaking or
Aflatoxin B • Abdominal Pain. cooking
is the most • Vomiting.
common • Convulsions. LD50 ranges
type. • Edema. from 0.5 to 10
• Pulmonary Edema mg/kg body
A major • mutagenic, weight (any
metabolic teratogenic, and species of
product of hepatocarcinogenic animals)
aflatoxin B1
is aflatoxin MRL- 15 µg/kg
M for nuts

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Microbial Toxins
Other Major Mycotoxins
 Ochratoxin
 Patulin
 Deoxynivalenol
 Fumonasins

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Veterinary Antibiotics

Antibiotics are given to animals,

After a surgery

Stressful
Dry cow therapy Potential conditions
Outbreaks

Before
Transportation
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Why use antibiotics for animals
Therapeutic
Use of antimicrobial in animals with diagnosed disease.

Prophylactic
Use of antimicrobial in healthy animals in advanced of
expected exposure or after an exposure to an infectious
agent, before laboratory diagnosis

Non therapeutic
Any use of antimicrobial in the absence of disease or
documented exposure to microbial disease

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Non therapeutic use of antibiotics

 Growth promotion
 Feed efficiency
 Weight gain
 Preventing illness caused by bad sanitation

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Antibiotics used as growth promoters
Antibiotics, when used in low subtherapeutic doses in feed and water,
are called “growth promoters”.
They are used by industry to:

 Reduce subclinical populations of pathogenic microorganisms in gut

mass
 Lessening metabolic drain.
 Prevent irritation to the intestinal lining.
 Increase food passage through gut
 Allowing increased daily gain (4-16%) and feed utilization (2-7%).

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Antimicrobial Growth Promoters (poultry)
 Virginiamycin
 Penicillin
 Arsenical compounds
 Tetracycline
 Nitrofurans
 Neomycin
 Sulfonamides
 Glycopeptides
 Streptomycin
 Streptothricins
 Roxarsone
 Macrolides
 Carbadox

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Health Related Issues of vet. Antibiotics
Residues
Antibiotic resistance ???

What factors promote Antibiotic resistance?

 Exposure to sub-optimal levels of antibiotics

 Exposure to the microbes carrying resistance gene

“Overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in food animals

contribute to the emergence of resistant forms of disease-
causing bacteria. Such resistant bacteria can be transmitted
from food animals to human, primarily via the food”

World Health Organization Global Guidelines, 2000

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Regulations guiding the levels of toxins in
food

 Commission Regulation (EC) No 466/2001 of 8 March 2001

Setting maximum levels of certain contaminants in foodstuffs.
 USFDA
 CODEX STAN 193-1995 (Rev.1-1997)
How to establish the maximum limit of toxins or
contaminants in foods.

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Analysis of Food Toxins and Vet. Antibiotics
Detection &
Sample preparation
Quantification

At ITI, At ITI,
Internationally Detection and quantification are
accepted, internally done by state-of-the art
validated, technology Liquid
rapid, simple and chromatography – Tandem mass
latest techniques spectrometry with highest
are used for sample accuracy and reliability with
preparation secondary confirmation

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Analysis of Food Toxins and Vet. Antibiotics
Contd..

Current Scope

Food Adulterants/ Contaminants Biogenic ammines

DCD Histamine
Melamine
Sudan I,II,III, & IV

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Analysis of Food Toxins and Vet. Antibiotics
Contd..
Future Scope

Endogenous Toxins of Veterinary antibiotic

Microbial Toxins
Plant/animal Origin drug residues

Cyanogenic glycosides – Aflatoxins B1, B2, More than 25 vet

Solanine G1 and G2 antibiotics and their
metabolites
Ochratoxins
Patuline

Other mycotoxins

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