ABSTRACT
2Major food toxicological interests arise from the need to estimate exposure, early effects, and individual variation in sensitivity reflecting the interaction between exogenous and endogenous factors in the human body. To this end, “biomarkers” represent tools to measure response(s) (functional, physiological, and biochemical) at the cellular or molecular level reflecting interactions between a biological system and a potential hazard of a chemical, biological, and physical nature. Overall, three classes of biomarkers are identified: biomarkers of exposure, biomarkers of effect, and biomarkers of susceptibility. Selection of appropriate “priority” biomarkers is of critical importance to assess the risk and possible health-related outcomes of exposure to individuals and population subgroups. The usefulness and characteristics of pertinent analytical methods and technical considerations of each are discussed. Additionally, dietary toxicants which target gut microbiota can significantly impact different organs and tissues. Any adverse effect on the gut microbiota, which plays an important role in metabolism, can potentiate some of these toxicants. Importantly, developmental processes during perinatal period in the nervous system are especially vulnerable by some food toxicants at doses that may not be toxic to mature systems. This chapter summarizes the current knowledge about biomarkers suitable for application to the hepatic, renal, hematological, immune, pulmonary, reproductive, developmental, nervous system, and cognitive functions and those associated with carcinogenic mechanisms, as well as the assessment of risk to human health derived from food toxicants.
