Journal de Food : microbiologie, sécurité et hygiène
Libre accès

Abstrait

Contamination des aliments par les métaux lourds, le cuivre, le plomb et l'arsenic

Dharani Balan*

Heavy metals refer to any relatively high-density metallic element that is toxic or poisonous even at low concentrations. Heavy metals are natural components of the earth’s crust and cannot be destroyed. Metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and others are found in certain foods. Eliminating them entirely from our food supply is not always possible because these metals are found in the air, water and soil, and then taken up by plants as they grow. The toxicity of these metals is in part due to the fact that they accumulate in biological tissues, a process known as bioaccumulation. This process of bioaccumulation of metals occurs in all living organisms as a result of exposure to metals in food and the environment, including food animals such as fish and cattle as well as humans.