Q. What is Biological Contaminants?

You may recall reading about food borne diseases caused by the consumption of contaminated food items in the last unit. In the developing countries, food-borne diseases continue to be a serious health hazard and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. In fact, they are a major public health concern, which cut across national boundaries in terms of human ailments and economic loss. Most of the reported cases of food-borne diseases are due to the consumption of food contaminated with microorganisms. Microorganisms present in the soil, water and air may infect the growing plant and stored foodstuffs and produce harmful metabolites. Warm temperatures and high moisture content serve as ideal conditions for the growth of microorganisms like bacteria and fungi in stored food products. These types of contaminated foodstuffs have been the cause of many serious poisonings in man and animals which have even resulted in death.

Toxins produced by fungi are collectively termed as mycotoxins and the disease caused by them as mycotoxicosis. You have already read about them in the last unit. Mycotoxins have been found in many types of foods for human consumption, particularly cereals and nuts. Contamination can occur in the field or during storage. Meat, eggs and milk fiom animals that have fed on mycotoxin contaminated feed can provide an indirect route of exposure for us. Some examples of mycotoxins, you may recall, are aflataxins produced by the fungi Aspergillus Jlavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, deoxynivalenol, fumonisin and zearalenone produced by the Fusaria species and ergot alkaloids produced by Claviceps spp. and ochratoxin by Aspergillus ochraceus and Penicillium species.