| Popis: |
Cereals are arguably the single most significant source of food for man and his animals. Consequently, even low levels of chemical contamination can have significance in terms of consumer health. Chemical contamination of cereals can arise both when the crop is produced and/or when it is processed. In terms of contaminants of the crop itself, these can either be a consequence of natural phenomena (e.g., heavy metals and mycotoxins) or by the direct actions of man himself (e.g., pesticides). However, even if a consequence of natural phenomena, the presence of contaminants can often be aggravated or mitigated by agronomic and subsequent processing practices. A similar situation can arise during food manufacture with contaminants actually being formed during certain cooking processes (e.g., acrylamide) or due to deliberate actions (e.g., use of a nonpermitted additive). As in the case of those contaminants associated with the crop, food manufacturing practices can therefore either ameliorate or enhance the levels of contaminants seen. |
