Chemical hazards of contamination of foodstuffs and dishes

The bachelor thesis deals with the risks of chemical contamination of food and possible health risks for the consumers. Firstly, there is a general outline of foreign substances including the additives, which are added to foods intentionally, and contaminants. The contaminants are viewed as undesirable substances which occasionally occur in foods. They develop directly in the foods or penetrate into them from the outside during the basic stages of agricultural production, in stores, during transportation or during processing for culinary purposes, or due to environmental pollution. Such substances can have negative effects on human health. The second part of the thesis focuses on concrete contaminants - nitrates, nitrites and acrylamide. Nitrates and nitrites are both contaminants and additives. Their use as food additives is motivated by their sensoric and protective effects. The sensoric function is to ensure a permanent pink colour of smoked meat and other meat products. The protective function consists in inhibiting the growth of the microorganisms Clostridium botulinum and thus preventing the origination of dangerous botulin. The nitrates exist as contaminants mainly in foods of vegetable origin, penetrating them from soil and water due to nitrogen cycle in the nature. The acrylamide is a newly discovered food contaminant. It is considered to be a very dangerous substance as regards possible peroral exposure. The danger consists in its neurotoxic, genotoxic and possible carcinogenic effects. It originates in foods with a higher content of reducing sugars during the process of production or culinary processing if the temperature is higher than 120° C. The thesis should provide information for the public as consumers or providers of different food-processing facilities. Its main objective is to pinpoint some risks connected with the consumption of various foods and meals, and to eliminate the risks as much as possible or to avoid them completely