Carcinogens in Food

SUBMITTED BY

Tejashree Joshi
Urmila Jadhav

(BATCH 1)
M.Sc II year (FOOD SCIENCE & NUTRITION)
CLINICAL AND THERAPEUTIC NUTRITION
(2010-2011)

POST GRADUATE TEACHING DEPARTMENT OF HOME

SCIENCE R T M NAGPUR UNIVERSITY
Content
 Carcinogens in Food
Carcinogen, as a term, can refer to any substance or an agent directly
involve in the promotion of cancer or in the increase of cancer's growth.
The ability of something to cause cancer may be due to to its ability to
damage the genetic code of a cell or to the disruption of cellular
metabolic processes.
Can the very food that sustains us cause cancer? Many would
disagree but the fact is that carcinogens (substances that cause a normal
cell to change into a cancerous cell) creep in unnoticed into one's daily
food in many different ways. They could be present in the form of
insecticides that fruit and vegetables have been sprayed with; they could
be in the form of growth hormone with which cows and pigs have been
fattened in commercial farms; they could be in the preservatives and
coloring agents added to food or they could occur naturally in the food
itself.
Types of carcinogens
Naturally occurring carcinogens
 Tannins
• Carcinogenic agent –
Tannic acid
• Food source –
tea, coffee, cocoa
• Associated cancer site –
Liver
 Cycad plants
• An important food –
sources in tropical
regions.
• Carcinogenic agent –
cycasin and related
azoxyglycosides.
• Associated cancer site –
liver and kidney
 Safrole
• Carcinogenic agent –
Safrole oil.
• sources –
found in sassafras tea,
cinnamin, cocoa (trace),
nutmeg, and other herbs and
spices.
• Associated cancer site –
liver.
 Black pepper
•Carcinogenic agent –
Pyperadine and alpha-
Methylpyrroline are
secondary amines in black
pepper which can be
nitrosated to N
nitrosopiperadine, a strong
carcinogen.
• Associated cancer site –
Liver.
• Source –
black pepper
 Pesticides
• carcinogenic agent –
pesticide residue
• sources –
Primary sources of
infection were traced to
sprayed grain and animal
tallow in the feed and to
poor husbandry practices.
fruits and vegetables for
which pesticides are used
excessively and are not
properly washed before
eating
• Associated cancer site –
breasts.
 Arsenic
• Carcinogenic agent –
Arsanilic acid have been
incorporated into poultry
feed to stimulate early
maturation
• sources –
commercial chickens, eggs.
• Associated cancer site-
Liver.
 Sugars
• The refined-carbohydrate diet
is blamed by Dr. Denis F. Burkitt
as the single most important
cause of large-bowel cancers,
occurring on a worldwide scale
when people forsake their
traditional dietary habits and
consume large amounts of
refined carbohydrates.
 Brown sugar
• The commercial brown sugar color
isn't from molasses residue.
• Virgin sugar is rinsed to remove
molasses residue, then put into a
centrifuge where it is separated
from the crystals.
• Brown sugar is melted, filtered and
boiled repeatedly with animal-bone
charcoal to concentrate and form
crystals.
• Molasses is added back to sugar to
achieve its brown color.
• Dr. W. C. Heuper, M.D. in an
experimental study for Cancer
Research warns that sugar
manufactured with this animal-bone
charcoal process may be
carcinogenic (cancerous).
 Hydrogenated fat
• In hydrogenation of oils
hydrogen is bubbled through the
oil in the presence of nickel,
platinum, or some other catalyst.
• The hydrogen atoms combine
with the carbon atoms, and the
produce becomes saturated or
hardened
• There is no assurance that
nickel, if used as the catalyst,
leaves no residue in the product.
This element, even in minute
quantities in the diet, is suspected
of being a carcinogen.
Artificial carcinogens
Flavor enhancers
• Carcinogenic food –
artificial sweeteners
• Carcinogenic agent –
Aspartame, Saccharin
• Sources –
Equal, NutraSweet
• Associated cancer site –
Brain
Potassium Bromate

•Used in breads and rolls to

increase the volume and
produce a fine crumb
structure

• Carcinogenic agent –
Bromate
• Sources –
Breads, rolls and other
other baked foods
 Food sauces
• Carcinogenic agent –
Chloropropanols (a family
of drugs)
• Sources –
Black bean sauce, soy sauce,
oyster sauce.
• Associated cancer site –
Liver and Kidney.
 Soft drinks
• Carcinogenic agent –
Benzene.
• Sources –
Carbonated drinks, soft
drinks
• Associated cancer site –
Liver
Artificial colors
 Coal-tar dyes
• Coal, when heated in the
absence of air, is
converted to coke (impure
carbon), coal gas, and coal
tar. The coal tar, a viscous
black liquid, is a mixture of
many organic compounds
when some of these
compounds are purified
reacted them with other
chemicals. These synthetic
substances are known as
coal-tar dyes and are used
in great quantity by the
food.
 Preservatives
• Name of the preservative-
BHA (Butylated
Hydroxyanisole) and BHT
(Butylated Hydroxytoluene)
• These 2 are added to oil
containing foods to prevent
oxidation and retard
rancidity, also added in
confectionaries and meat.
• It interact with nitrates to
to form chemicals that cause
changes in DNA of the cell
thereby growth of the cell.
 Propyl Gallate
•It is added as a preservative
to prevent fats and oils
from spoiling. Also used in
vegetable oils, meat
products,
potato sticks, chicken soup
bases and chewing gum.
•It is often used with BHA and
BHT.
•It causes liver and kidney
tumors.
 Nitrates
•Sodium Nitrate is added to
meats to stabilize them and to
give characteristic smoked
flavor and red color. It is also
added as color fixative.
•Potassium nitrate, also
known as saltpeter and nitre, is
used in fireworks and as a color
fixative in cured meats.
•Both nitrates combine with
natural stomach saliva and food
substances (secondary amines)
to create nitrosamines,
powerful cancer-causing agents.
•Nitrosamines have also been
found in fish treated with
nitrates
The worst five foods to avoid
 Banned food additives
Additive Function Year Associated cancer
banne
d
Butter yellow Artificial coloring 1919 Toxic, later found to cause liver
cancer.
Green 1 1965 Liver cancer

Red 1 1961 Liver cancer

Red 2 1976 Possible carcinogen

Sudan 1 1919 Toxic, later found to be carcinogenic

Violet 1 1973 Cause cancer

Cinnamyl 1982 Liver cancer

anthranilate
Additive Function Year Associated cancer
banned
Diethyl Preservative 1972 Combines with ammonia to
pyrocarbonate (beverages) form urethane, a strong
(DEPC) carcinogen.

Dulcin (p- Artificial sweetener 1950 Liver cancer

ethoxyphenyl urea)
Oil of calamus Flavoring agent 1968 Intestinal cancer
Polyoxyethylene-8- Emulsifier 1952 High levels caused bladder
stearate cancer and sones

Safrole Flavoring agent (root 1960 Liver cancer

bear)
Thiourea preservative 1950 Liver cancer
Cyclamate Artificial sweetener 1969 Bladder cancer; now not
thought cause cancer directly,
but to increase the potency of
other carcinogens
 Tips for avoiding potential
carcinogens in food
 Look for brands of uncured, nitrate free meat
products.
 Avoid all cakes and cookies that list saturated fats in
their ingredients.
 Wash all vegetables and fruits before consumption in
clean water, or with special washing liquids available
for the purpose.
 Eating organically grown vegetables and fruits would
limit one’s exposure to pesticides.
 Food additives safety codes
The following codes indicate the safety of the additives in the table
below.Many additives have more than one code used to describe their
safety.
Codes Meaning

* GRAS - Generally Recognized As Safe by the FDA.

§ FDA approved colorant

S There is no known toxicity. The additive appears to be safe.

A The additive may cause allergic reactions.

Caution is advised. The additive may be unsafe, poorly tested, or
C used in foods we eat too much of.
Caution is advised for certain groups in the population, such as
C1 pregnant women, infants, persons with high blood pressure, kidney
problems, etc.

X The additive is unsafe or very poorly tested.