New tools to assess toxicity, bioaccessibility and uptake of chemical contaminants in meat and seafood

Abstract

Meat and seafood chemical contaminants can be very dangerous for human health. The way in which food chemical contaminants are currently controlled is not optimal as the food cooking, processing and eating habits are generally not considered by authorities. The current review discusses the available information related to the toxicity of the most relevant meat and seafood chemical contaminants, their bioaccessibility after cooking or processing, and the implications for human health. In addition, the current in vivo toxicity and alternative tests carried out for testing the effects of food chemical contaminants are illustrated, as well as new detection tools. The use of non-carcinogenic functional cell models, of alternative animal models like zebrafish embryos, and a toxicogenomic approach seem to be the most promising strategy for the toxicity assessment of food chemical contaminants. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.