Contaminants and Chemical Hazards

Recommended Prerequisites

The recommended prerequisites include what is taught in the 1 st cycle courses in the area of Pharmacy, Medicine, Veterinary, Nutrition, and Agricultural, Bioanalytical, Biological, Chemical Sciences or Engineering or other courses considered appropriate by the FFUC Scientific Council.

Teaching Methods

Aulas Teóricas: aulas expositivas com uma forte componente de diálogo e aplicação a casos práticos, recorrendo essencialmente a meios visuais (“data-show”). Estudo pessoal e/ou tutorial: leitura da bibliografia recomendada e da disponibilizada pelos docentes.

Learning Outcomes

The aim of this curricular unit is to provide students with a comprehensive view of processes occurring chemical contamination in food, as well as knowledge about the main chemical contamination agents in foods.

The students will be prepared to acquire and apply the learned competencies in order to identify and understand the main effects which may be caused by chemically contaminated food.

It is intended to ensure a strong interdisciplinary background, allowing the acquisition of essential knowledge in depth and in an integrated way, contributing to create specialists capable of facing challenges and solutions in Food Safety, and contribute prospectively for the development of new related areas. .

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

The syllabus of the theoretical component of this curricular unit includes, in a succinct form, the following matters: A global perspective of food chemical contamination, types of contaminants and major routes of contamination.

The focus of detailed theoretical and practical aspects of contaminants: heavy metals, nitrates and nitrites, pesticides, mycotoxins, veterinary medicines, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Heterocyclic aromatic amines, Dioxins, furans and PCBs, acrylamide and packaging materials in contact with food will be studied.

Head Lecturer(s)

André Monteiro Pais Teixeira Pereira

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Exam: 100.0%

Bibliography

Chemical Contaminants and Residue in food. 2^nd Ed. 2017

www.efsa.europa.eu/pt

ec.europa.eu/food/safety_en

www.who.int

Regulamento 178/2002

Silvaet al. Occurrence of antibiotic residues in portuguese foodstuffs of animal origin. Chap 5. Food Quality: Control, Analysis and Consumer Concerns. Ed D.A.Medina, AM. Laine. Nova Science Publishers

Duarte et al. Ochratoxin Mycotoxins and their implications in food safety. Ed. S.Duarte, C.Lino A. Pena Future Science.2014

Pereira et al. Risk assessment of nickel through Portuguese homemade baby foods. Journal of Food Composition 2022, 114

R. Martins, L.Silva, A. Pereira, A. Esteves, S.Duarte, A. Pena, Coccidiostats and Poultry: A Comprehensive Review and Current Legislation. Foods 2022, 11, 2738.

ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/about/jrc

www.researchgate.net/publication/330524048_Introducing_the_European_Commission_Knowledge_Centre_for_Food_Fraud_and_Quality

euronews.com/next/2020/11/02/preventing-food-fraud-europe-s-battle-against-the-spice-pirates