Research on contaminants in food and feed
What it's about
Food and feed may contain contaminants. In order to assess these contaminants in terms of their effect on health, analytical methods are developed and validated.
Background
Food and feed may be contaminated by contaminants. Contaminants from feed may also pass over into food of animal origin (carry over). For the risk assessment of contaminants contained in food and feed, analytical methods for these substances have to be developed and validated and an exposureExposureTo glossary assessment has to be carried out on the basis of valid data. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment is involved in determining the required data.
Research areas
- Transfer of acrylamide from feed to the hen's egg
- Some feed undergoes heating processes during processing that can lead to the formation of acrylamide or contains products of acrylamide-contaminated food, so that investigations into a potential risk to the consumer are required.
- Transfer of pyrrolizidine alkaloids from feed to milk in goats
- Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are secondary plant products that are formed as a defence against herbivores. They are metabolised in the liver and can have an irreversible toxic effect by reacting with DNA and other macromolecules.
- Transfer of coccidiostats to the hen's egg after cross-contamination during feed preparation
- Coccidiostats are used in animal husbandry as feed additives to control coccidial (protozoan parasite) infestations. These substances must not be present in the feed of laying hens. The detected residues in chicken eggs indicate that cross-contamination during the production of animal feed may be the cause.