UC Davis Food Science & Technology

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FST 128

FOOD TOXICOLOGY

FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 128
(3 units) SPRING QUARTER

COURSE GOALS: Food toxicology is concerned with assessing the injurious effects on living systems of chemicals present in foods. The chemical agents can be man-made (e.g., pesticide residues, food additives, contaminants originating with processing machinery, or packaging materials) or of natural origin (e.g., microbial, animal or plant toxins). They can, of course, also have been generated in the course of preparing, processing, and preserving foods (e.g., mutagens and carcinogens); in fact, in some instances, the chemicals can be the pure foodstuffs themselves. It is important that students of food science as well as environmental toxicology are familiar with the basic chemical and biological aspects of the injurious substances present in foods. This course wishes to develop an understanding of the chemical and biological principles that determine toxicity and, by presenting typical examples of the toxic substances found in foods, it hopes to let students become familiar with their properties, modes of action, and methods of analysis.

TEXTS USED:

  1. Toxicants Occurring Naturally in Foods, 2nd ed., 1973
  2. Toxicology, Casarett and Doull, 1975
  3. Toxic Constituents of Plant Food Stuffs, 2nd ed., 1969
  4. Food-Borne Infections and Intoxication, 2nd ed. 1979
  5. Methodology for Analytical Toxicology, Sunshine (ed.), 1975
  6. Trace Substances and Health: A Handbook, Newberne (ed.) 1976
  7. First International Symposium on Animal Toxins, 1966
  8. Microbial Toxins, Ajl et al. (eds.), 1970
  9. N-Nitroso Compounds, Scanlan and Tannenbaum (eds.), 1981
  10. Health Effects of Nitrate, Nitrite and N-Nitroso Compounds, 1981

*NOTE: Books will be on reserve in the Cruess Hall Library*


ENTRY LEVEL:

 Math 16B, Physics 5C, Chemistry 8B, Biochemistry 102/103.

COURSE FORMAT: Three (3) hours of lecture per week. Grades are based on two examinations (midterm and final) and active participation in class. Reading assignments will be given.

TOPICAL OUTLINE:
  1. Natural Toxicants Present in Foods (animal, plant toxins)
  2. Natural Toxicants Brought into the Food Through Spoilage (microbial toxins)
  3. Environmental Toxicants (heavy metals, pesticides, industrial contaminants)
  4. Toxicants formed in Processed Foods (food mutagens, carcinogens)
  5. Trace Elements in Foods
  6. Food Allergens
  7. Use of Bioassays in Food Toxicology
  8. Current Food Law Regulations

DATE PREPARED: May 1, 1992
INSTRUCTORS: T. Shibamoto/ G.F. Russell