Requirements for food R&D, 1994 / MAFF.

  • Great Britain. Food Safety Directorate
Date:
1993
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Requirements for food R&D, 1994 / MAFF. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    59. The programme manger is Dr David Watson, of Unit C, Branch A, Food Science Division I, MAFF (Tel: 071 238 6250; Fax: 071 238 6951), to whom enquiries should be directed. NATURAL CONSTITUENTS OF FOOD 60. Specific research requirements for the Natural Constituents of Food programme are outlined below. SPECIFIC RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS 61. | The Working Party on Naturally Occurring Toxicants in Food has drawn together available data on those classes of natural constituents of food for which there is evidence of toxicity. As a result of this exercise, a number of specific requirements has been determined. Mycotoxins 62. Details of a number of requirements, and the background to these needs, are given in Food Surveillance Paper No. 36, Mycotoxins: Third Report. In addition, the following areas are of interest: - Determination of mycotoxins or their metabolites in human blood as a means of measuring exposure of the UK population [the work should include generation of data on the effects of storage and stability in biological fluids as necessary to validate the work]; and - Determination of the formation of DNA or protein adducts with human material. Aquatic Biotoxins 63. | MAFF has not previously commissioned work on blue-green (freshwater) algal toxins. However, a particular area of interest has now been identified: - Determination of the extent to which blue-green algal toxins accumulate in fish flesh and liver. 64. | MAFF already has an extensive programme of R & D for marine biotoxins (paralytic shellfish toxins and diarrhetic shellfish toxins). A number of projects are concerned with developing alternatives to the mouse bioassay which is currently used in surveillance work. However, work is hampered by the lack of pure samples of the component toxins for use as analytical standards and MAFF wishes to commission work: - To synthesise the major toxins involved (in UK waters) in paralytic shellfish poisoning in sufficient quantities for use as analytical standards.
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