BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF NATURALLY OCCURRING TOXINS

The occurrence of adverse reactions to food is quite low, despite the fact that many foods contain toxins as a naturally occurring component or as a result of being handled or processed. Toxins can be created in either of these ways. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies came up with some creative solutions to reduce the incidence of adverse effects. These solutions included the innovative use of specifications, action levels, tolerances, warning labels, and prohibitions. As a result, the incidence of adverse effects has been reduced significantly. The manufacturers have also played a part by establishing limitations on specific compounds and devising techniques for mitigating the effects of process-induced toxins in their products. In spite of the precautions that have been taken by government agencies and food manufacturers to safeguard consumers from the effects of naturally occurring poisons in food, people will nonetheless unavoidably absorb some of these substances, albeit in trace amounts. There is always the possibility of toxicity owing to contamination, overconsumption, allergy, or an unforeseen idiosyncratic response, despite the fact that the risk of toxicity due to the consumption of food toxins is quite low. The goal of this article is to provide a toxicological and regulatory overview of some of the toxins that are present in some commonly consumed foods and to discuss, to the extent that this is possible, the steps that have been taken to reduce the exposure of consumers to these toxins