Science Platforms > Chemical
Constituents & Allergens
Platform Mission: Address and respond to the needs and concerns
of industry, consumers, and regulators with respect to effects
of processing, cleaning, and/or removal from processing equipment/processing
environment and understanding formation, detection, and analysis. Risks
associated with chemical contaminants and allergens are global
concerns, garnering more attention daily.
In 2004, the Food Allergen
Labeling and Consumer Protection Act -(FALCPA) was signed into
law to take effect January 1, 2006.
In 2005 FAO/WHO Expert
Committee on Food Additives issued a report on the toxicological
potential of several food contaminants including acrylamide, ethyl
carbamate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and others;
and FDA/CFSAN released list of A and B priorities for various
initiatives concerning the presence and effects of contaminants.
NCFST scientists investigate
the effects of food processing on the formation of hazardous contaminants
in order to better understand how to prevent, reduce, or mitigate
them from the food processing environment and the cross-transfer
of preformed natural toxins and allergens.
Current research at NCFST and FDA includes:
- Methodology assessment
- Collaborative projects on determination
of the effects of processing
on
protein allergenicity
- Identification of best practices
for removal and mitigation
of allergens from the food processing
environment
- Maintenance of a bioinformatics
database on allergens
NCFST provides a critical
link between FDA’s regulatory
responsibilities for food safety in
these areas and the food industry’s
need to provide safe food products to
consumers.
CASE STUDY: Effects of
Processing on Fumonisin
in Corn-Based Food
To investigate indications
that corn products undergoing
thermal processing treatment generally contain lower concentrations
of fumonisins than unprocessed
products
(e.g., corn meal and grits), an NCFST project, in collaboration with the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, focused on the effects of processing
on fumonisin.
Key results:
- An improved method to measure fumonisin levels in unprocessed and
proessed
foods was developed;
- In general, the loss of fumonisin was more rapid and extensive
in alkaline
or acidic environments;
- Physical parameters such as processing time and temperature
are critical factors and affect decomposition of fumonisins, with
indications that fumonisin
levels
may be substantially reduced in foods that reach >150C during processing;
- Fumonisin
losses increased with an increase in temperature and a decrease in
screw speed, this indicating extrusion cooking is effective in reducing
fumonisin
levels in food;
- Indications are that fumonisins are heat stable compounds
that survive under most conditions used during baking and frying.
Conclusion: This work was instrumental in the development of the
FDA Guidance for Industry: Fumonisin Levels in Human Foods and
Animal Foods.
NCFST Allergen Task Force
FALCPA presented the U.S. food industry, regulatory authorities, and
consumers with a number of critical issues. Recognizing the magnitude
of this act
and its possible ramifications, NCFST formed an Allergen Task Force.
The Task
Force interacts
with FDA and other experts in foodborne allergens and allergies to:
- Identify scientific and consumer concerns and to develop goals
to address them
- Address short term issues relating to FALCPA and
consider medium- to long-term allergen risk analysis issues
- Identify
best practices to be used to reduce or eliminate cross-contact
of foods with major food allergens
- Develop a system for evaluating
FALCPA exemption claims
- Initiate a program to develop allergen standards
and reference materials for use in studies on analytical methodologies
- Develop
training and informational materials
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