Kvasny Prum. 1981; 27(1): 6-15 | DOI: 10.18832/kp1981002

Sources and importance of foreign matters present in food products and especially in beer.Peer-reviewed article

G. BASAŘOVÁ

In the interest of more efficient health protection more attention is now being paid to detecting harmful residua in food products. Reliable analyses are facilatated by the development of highly sensitive instruments and new methods, so that at present it is possible to identify even trace amounts of various substances. Maximum allowed concentrations of some kinds of residua are gradually reduced by new binding regulations. For malt and beer are typical residua directly connected with the usage of chemicals in agriculture. Main contaminants are residua of insecticides containing chlorinated hydrocarbons, organic phosphates and organic compounds of metals. Results of analyses carried out in the laboratories of Research Institute of Brewing Industry in Prague and Bratislava disclose, that the concentrations of residua in raw materials used by Czechoslovak brewing industry and in its final product, i. e. in beer are in average well below the limits specified in the regulations of the Czech Ministry of Health. Another potential group of contaminants represent residua of heavy metals. There are several sources from which they can get into farm products: chemicals used as fertilizers, waste from industrial works etc. Their concentrations do not exceed allowed limits required by Ministry of Health either. In all countries with developed brewing industry beer and malt are systematically analyzed to detect carcinogenous nitrosamines. These endogenous contaminants can be found in malt dried in kilns straight with hot combustion products. Some kinds of pollutants present in atmosphere and some insecticides applied in agriculture can also contribute to higher concentration of nitrosamines, as well as to higher level of nitrates and nitrites in water. At present markets do not accept malt containing more than 2,5 ppb and beer containing more than 0,5 ppb of nitrosamines.
(In Czech, English summary only)

Keywords: foreign matters, food, beer

Published: January 1, 1981