Tagi Oferty: feed

Heavy metals

Heavy metals are an example of contaminants that penetrate into food and feed products to a significant extent from the surrounding environment. According to available literature, plants and products of plant origin, such as bread and all cereal products, fish and seafood, are most vulnerable to contamination.

The heavy metals most frequently associated with the development of health problems are cadmium, lead, mercury and arsenic. Long-term exposure to elevated levels of these elements may cause an increased risk of cancer and nervous system disorders, as well as immune system dysfunction.The primary source of migration of heavy metals into the environment is industrial dust and wastewater discharged into waterways and ultimately entering the food chain. Many metals can enter food as industrial by-products and waste.

Maximum levels for heavy metals in foodstuffs and animal feed are regulated and contained in the relevant legislation. In the case of foodstuffs, there is Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 of 19 December 2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs, as amended, which also sets requirements for tin in canned foodstuffs. For animal feed, the limits are set out in Directive 2002/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 May 2002 on undesirable substances in animal feed, as amended.

Investigations into heavy metals levels are carried out at the J.S. Hamilton Poland Laboratory in Gdynia and the Hamilton UO-Technology in Słomczyn with the use of appropriately developed research methodologies – based on the guidelines of Polish and international standards, as well as own research procedures. The most frequently used are the technique of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma ionisation mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Should you want to check your food or feed for metal content, contact our team and schedule tests with us.

Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of certain moulds, mainly Aspergillus, Penicilium, Fusarium and Alternaria. They can occur in almost all products consumed by humans and animals. They are toxins resistant to technological processes (e.g., cooking, frying, baking, distillation, fermentation) and are most frequently found in products of plant origin such as: cereals, cereal products, vegetables, nuts.

The development of moulds and the mycotoxins they produce is influenced by the temperature and humidity of the air, the water content of the raw material and the degree of maturity of the plants. In addition to the high health risk, mycotoxins can cause serious economic losses. This may be the result of unfavourable weather conditions during the growing or harvesting period or of incorrect storage. It should also be taken into account that, with changing environmental conditions, a single mould species can produce several mycotoxins.

According to FAO estimates, mycotoxins may contaminate up to 25% of the world’s food production, and complete elimination of mycotoxins is an essentially unattainable goal. More than 400 mycotoxins are currently known, of which about 20 pose a serious threat to crops that are a source of food for humans and animals. In food and feed, the most commonly determined mycotoxins are:

  • aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2 (aflatoxin M1, mainly in milk and products).
  • ochratoxin A,
  • trichothecenes (e.g. deoxynivalenol, T2, HT-2),
  • fumonisins B1, B2,
  • zearalenone,
  • patulin,
  • ergot alkaloids.

Mycotoxins can form at various stages of food production, from plant vegetation, through harvest, to the storage of the harvest or even the final product. During the vegetation period, phytopathogenic fungi strains, e.g., of the genus Fusarium, are the source of mycotoxins, whereas during storage, saprophytic fungi predominate, especially of the Aspergillus and Penicilium genera, whose mycotoxic activity depends on improper storage conditions, which may result in production of aflatoxins, ochratoxin A or citrinin (so-called storage mycotoxins).

Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006 of 19 December 2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs, as amended, sets maximum levels for mycotoxins which pose a potential risk to human health and life. In addition to the most commonly determined ones mentioned above, maximum levels have been set for citrinin.

The study of mycotoxins in food and fodder was of particular interest to the J.S. Hamilton Poland Laboratory as early as in the 1960s, immediately after the first reports of the threat in England, where mass epidemics of poultry (“turkey X disease”) caused by mouldy fodder were reported. Over several years, our laboratory developed a method for the determination of aflatoxins using high-performance liquid chromatography. As chromatographic techniques developed, J.S. Hamilton Poland Laboratory validated and accredited methods of analysis of mycotoxins subject to monitoring, using various chromatographic techniques:

  • high performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection (HPLC-FLD),
  • liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC‑MS/MS).

The laboratory also performs tests on herbal raw materials developed based on the requirements of the European Pharmacopoeia for the determination of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 and ochratoxin A.

Contact our team today to learn more about our methods – or to schedule tests with J.S. Hamilton.

Trainings

ABOUT TRAINING COURSES

J.S. Hamilton Poland conducts prestigious seminars, trainings, workshops and laboratory classes aimed at the food, cosmetics and household chemistry, packaging and environmental protection sectors. The participants of training courses can be: technologists, quality and laboratory workers, production department employees, personnel responsible for quality and product safety, managers and employees of legal or marketing departments. Everyone can raise their professional competence, improve work efficiency and better prepare themselves to carry out their professional tasks at a relatively low cost of training. J.S. Hamilton Poland is registered in the Register of Training Institutions (RIS) and the Database of Development Services – PARP, which allows the participants of our training courses to obtain co-financing of training from public funds.

Moreover, the competence of the trainers and the quality of the trainings conducted have been confirmed by the ISO 9001: 2015-10 Certificate in the scope of training and development and consulting services.

AREAS OF TRAINING

Our offer includes training in areas such as:

  • Food safety and quality, including training courses and workshops covering: sensory evaluation, microbiological testing, allergen and GMO analysis, food safety management systems, HACCP, ISO 22000, FSSC, BRC and IFS systems for retail chains, commodity and food quality training;
  • feed safety, the implementation of HACCP procedures, the GMP+ system, the legal aspects of trade in feed and provisions relating to its labeling;
  • Packaging, including: training on BRC food packaging safety, global and specific migration, eco-design, life cycle and packaging recycling;
  • Cosmetics, including: training and workshops on sensory and microbiological analysis of cosmetics, legal requirements for safe use and labeling of cosmetic preparations;
  • Environmental protection, including: training and workshops on sewage sludge management, packaging waste management, municipal tasks in the field of environmental protection, charges for using the environment;
  • Chemicals and petroleum products, including: training in liquid fuel sampling light fuel oil sampling, test methods for fuel oil and liquid fuels, quantity accounting for fuel oil.

TRAINING STAFF

Training courses are conducted by lecturers drawn from our own staff, using their extensive knowledge and experience. We also invite experts and auditors of leading certification companies, employees of consulting companies from Poland and abroad to give lectures.

The mission of our company is to take care of the welfare of our customers by satisfying the educational needs of the participants of our seminars and training courses and by organising training courses at the highest level.

TRAINING PACKAGES

We offer training packages, covered by a special discount, which will allow you to obtain the necessary knowledge in a given subject. After each training included in the package you receive a certificate confirming your participation in the training, and completion of the whole package guarantees obtaining a specialist certificate.

CLOSED TRAINING

In order to meet the expectations of our clients, we organise training adapted to the needs and specificity of the company. Each training included in the training schedule can be realised as a closed training on customer’s request. This also applies to training courses which are not listed in the training schedule.

Training courses and workshops are organised at a time and location determined by the client. Programs are usually priced according to the number of days and the number of participants so that the company can save considerable sums of money in the case of larger groups and reduce travel and accommodation costs by organising the training at its own premises. Each participant receives training materials. The training ends with a certificate or attestation confirming the highest quality of training.

QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT ACADEMY J.S.HAMILTON POLAND

The Training and Audit Department of J.S. Hamilton Poland also invites for a cycle of training courses, which in a comprehensive way prepares present and future employees of quality departments of food industry companies for the role of managers responsible for the development, implementation and improvement of food and packaging safety and quality management systems.

In one semester (165 hours), students of the Academy acquire knowledge in the areas of food contaminants, sensory analysis, packaging regulations, quality management system requirements and food safety. Our lecturers, experienced auditors and managers of quality departments in food industry companies, share their practical knowledge with the students on how to carry out and document audits and interpret legal provisions.