Introduction:
Food protection denotes correct food handling techniques during meal preparation, processing, holding, and distribution of products in the food industry. Food protection is a requirement that is mandatory during all the stages of food processing and storage. Food production begins with farming and culminates with the packaging of final products and delivery to the consumer’s table. For successful food protection, understanding what could threaten its nutrition and quality is important. Contaminants can negatively impact food protection along with the food reserve chain. These contaminants can be biological, chemical, physical, and radiological hazards that can occur at any stage of processing. Without the appropriate command and management of food protection, foodborne illnesses and food-related damage can occur.
What Is Food Protection?
Food protection comprises food handling procedures used to preserve food products. All food store chain associates must concede with specified criteria to preserve food protection. Accurate handling and industrial procedures involve cooking at a suitable temperature to stop undercooked meat contamination, correct segregation to control chances of contamination, and keeping foods at appropriate temperatures. Consumers also play an important part when it comes to food protection. Consumers desire proper storage and processing for the products they buy, particularly uncooked food. Participation of customers towards food protection is also noticed via their need for high-quality, secure products.
What Is a Food Hazard?
A food hazard is defined as any activity or action that can induce negative outcomes for consumers. Hazards can be introduced into the food during harvesting, formulation and processing, packaging, and labeling. They can also be introduced during the storage part of the food. When proper storage conditions are not met, food can become unfit for consumption.
What Are the Different Types of Food Hazards?
1. Biological Hazards:
Biological hazards occur when dangerous pathogenic organisms are introduced to the food and therefore pose a health hazard to the customers. Biological hazards can be in the form of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can affect general health. Biological threats may be present in the food from the atmosphere (mud, bacteria, parasites, or farm run-off) or through insufficient sanitation methods and cross-contamination during conveyance, handling, processing, and storage (inadequate hygiene while handling food). The variety and extent of microbial development are dependent on food quality, container conditions, and storage atmosphere.
- Bacteria:
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms present all around us; in the soil, air, and water or symbiotically in the intestinal tract or mucous membranes of other organisms as well as human beings and contain many enzymatic, biochemical, and pathogenic possessions. Consuming food polluted with pathogenic microorganisms and their harmful by-products leads to foodborne disease. These diseases can take the shape of illnesses. Infectious microorganisms are dangerous to their innholder by grouping out wholesome microorganisms, employing host help, and overpowering innholder tissue. A foodborne disease induced by an infection can sometimes take days or weeks to manifest itself, which usually makes it challenging to determine the causative mechanism. Illness induced by highly pathogenic bacteria usually happens within hours of ingesting the contaminated meals. The microorganism's byproduct induces intoxication after ingestion. The predominant bacteria associated with foodborne infections are Bacillus cereus, Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes.
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Viruses:
Viruses normally associated with food hazards include an enteric virus, Hepatitis A virus, norovirus or Norwalk virus, and rotavirus. Viruses are most commonly introduced into meals via inadequate hygiene while handling contaminated individuals (inadequate personal hygiene approaches) or through infected food components (water).
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Parasites:
A parasite is any organism that receives nutrition from its host to multiply and grow. Unlike symbiotic (two or more different organisms living jointly for the advantage of one or both) organisms, which reciprocate by delivering their hosts with additional benefits the host would not be capable of finding otherwise, parasites do not provide the hosts with any benefits, and normally it is disadvantageous to the host. Parasites normally associated with foodborne infections are Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia duodenalis, Taenia species, toxoplasma gondii, Trichinella spiralis, Entamoeba histolytica, and Entamoeba coli. Similar to viruses, parasites enter meals through inadequate hygiene practices.
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Other Biological Hazards:
Several biological threats are understood to generate diseases. Mad cow disease is a progressive, incurable condition of the nervous system of cattle. It is also a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). Other TSEs possess scrapie in lambs and chronic deterioration conditions in deer.
2. Chemical Hazards:
Chemical threats occur when chemicals are present in food at levels that can be dangerous to humans. Contamination may happen via different pathways mentioned below:
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The atmosphere (air, soil, or water).
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Deliberate use of chemicals, such as pesticides and veterinary medications.
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Manufacturing methodologies.
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Addition of foodstuff additives.
In the food enterprise, there are different types of chemical threats. Some prominent ones are as follows:
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Mycotoxins.
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Natural toxins.
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Marine toxins.
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Environmental impurities.
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Food additives.
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Processing rendered chemicals.
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Pesticides or farming products.
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Veterinary medication residues.
3. Physical Hazards:
It is not unusual to find materials coating the food articles (excluding bacteria and their by-products, viruses, and parasites) on the food. These materials may or may not be harmful but their presence is linked with unsanitary practices during production, processing, handling, warehousing, or during food distribution. Some extraneous substances found in foodstuffs are insects, hair, metal pieces, plastic, timber chips, and glass.
4. Allergic Hazards:
An allergen is a protein that creates an abnormal immune reaction in susceptible inhabitants. Allergic responses to food usually implicate immunoglobulin E antibodies. Presentation of an allergic response can vary in harshness from skin inflammations, and mild itching of the jaws to migraine or anaphylactic shock (induces the immune system to discharge a gush of chemicals that can cause shock, blood pressure falls abruptly and the airways constrict, obstructing breathing), and death. The intensity of the reaction is subjective to the amount ingested, the method of ingestion, exposure, and genetic elements.
5. Biotechnology Hazards:
Genetically altered food may generate a hazard in conceiving allergenicity and the transfer of genes from genetically altered foodstuffs to cells of the body or bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract system.
Conclusion:
Food hazards are prevalent due to pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria that induce food poisoning. They can cause mild symptoms like indigestion and hyperacidity to fatal reactions or health conditions like diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal ache, or even debilitating and long-standing conditions. The prevalence and outcomes of food contamination issues have disastrous consequences for both food industry owners and customers. With increased consciousness and raised awareness regarding food quality and contamination, food safety regulations have become a major responsibility of the food industry and the governmental body. With newer hazards like genetically modified food products available in the market, a vigilant body is required to monitor the activities of the food industry. An active and robust management system can guide the food industry better and protect the consumers, ultimately being a win-win situation for both.
