Publications Repository - Gdańsk University of Technology

Food is a major environmental human cancer risk factor. One of the reasons for this is that food products contain substances that exhibit mutagenic and carcinogenic potential which may induce the transformation of normal somatic cells into cancerous cells. These compounds occur in food as a result of microbial contaminations (mycotoxins produced by molds), are generated from natural food components upon processing (e.g. heterocyclic aromatic amines formed during thermal treatment of meat), penetrate into foodstuffs due to environmental exposure (pesticides used to protect crops), but also sometimes are added to foods purposefully (some food additives). Although food components may affect carcinogenic processes in the human organism in many ways, affecting different hallmarks of cancer, the genotoxic mutagens and carcinogens are likely to remain the convenient marker of food safety as their detection and association with the development of oncological diseases are best established. This chapter presents major food mutagens and carcinogens with an emphasis on their established usefulness in the assessment of diet-related cancer risk.

Authors

• prof. dr hab. inż. Agnieszka Bartoszek-Pączkowska link open in new tab ,
• Serhii Holota