Food can become contaminated with chemicals at any stage of production, i.e. from the farm to the table. Some of the food contaminants include chemicals used in food production such as pesticides and veterinary drugs. Others are natural chemicals such as heavy metals, which are acquired through the food web. Other toxic chemicals are natural toxins produced by fish, mushrooms, and higher plants, or by parasitic fungi, which grow on grain products. Indeed some toxins are generated during food processing such as frying. People can be affected by any of these chemicals singly and/or in combination. In addition, people may become allergic or sensitized to certain food components. The purpose of this course is to develop an understanding of the nature and properties of toxic substances in foods and the nature and magnitude of hazards they represent to human health.

 

Students will:                                                                 

A.     Gain knowledge of the scope of food toxicology                                                                             

B.     Gain an understanding of the basic principles of toxicology                                                                             

C.    Distinguish between safety, hazard and toxicity                                                                                   

D.    Gain knowledge of toxic substances in food and their toxic effects in people                                                                                   

E.     Develop skills necessary to critically evaluate food toxicology publications in lay and scientific literature                                                                                

F.     Gain an understanding of current issues in food safety toxicology                                         

 

 

This will consist of assignments/tests (65 points), a term paper (20 points) and class participation 13 points. A 3 h module will account for 5points on assignments/tests and 1 point for class participation (10points for assignments and 2 points for class participation for a 6 h module). Class participation will be assessed by student postings on the discussion board in both questions and comments or answers to class questions. Instructors will have the flexibility of deciding on how to assess students in their respective modules.

Assignments/tests will be posted on the first day of the module. Assignment deadlines will be strictly adhered to. Students who turn in all their assignments on time will be awarded 2 points at the end of the semester.

The term paper is to be a written review based on peer-reviewed publications on a topic of current interest in the field of food toxicology. The paper should cover an in-depth review of the topic of choice. Papers should be fully documented and include references to at least five journal articles published no later than 2002. Papers should be done with 2.0 line spacing. In addition to the paper, students will be expected to make an online power presentation of their paper to the class. Power point presentations should be posted by April 30^th 2007. The evaluation will take into consideration both the quality of the paper and the power point presentation (10 points for the paper, 10 points for the power point presentation). The review should provide adequate background information to introduce the reader to the topic and should be at a level appropriate for this graduate level course. The subjects/topics for the paper require prior approval from the moderator and should be selected before March 5th 2007. Students are encouraged to discuss potential topics of interest as early as the first week during the course.

A partial list of suggested general topics for the papers follows: