ABSTRACT
Harmful compounds in coffee Noël Durand, CIRAD, France; and Angélique Fontana, University of Montpellier, France
1 Introduction
2 Pesticide residues
3 Ochratoxin A
4 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
5 Acrylamide
6 Conclusion
7 References
Food safety is a major concern for consumers. However, chemicals that are often used to preserve crops may be harmful to human health and can be present in food products. Their presence may be linked to the methods of cultivation and processing of the product (use of chemical inputs at the field and unsuitable techniques for the production of the end products) or ‘fortuitous’ in the case of contamination resulting from external pollution. The regulations on maximum levels of toxic substances (MRL, maximum residue limit) and the control of the presence of these substances remain the only guarantees for the consumption of healthy products from agriculture.
