Inorganic Contaminants of Food as a Function of Packaging Features

Abstract

Metals are the most abundant group of chemical elements on the earth’s crust and can be found in all foods. Some of them are essential to the diet, within certain specific tolerances, while others are present as contaminants and pose a risk to the human health. The knowledge of the risk by metal contamination in foodstuffs is an argument of great importance. Along the production chain, foods may come in contact with metals at different stages of the production process: parts of industrial plants, storage tanks, tools and mainly primary packaging. Some packaging materials are metallic; in other situations (plastics, etc.), metals are only one of components with a specific role. After an introduction on the international legislation, this chapter examines the main types of food containers—from metallic to plastic ones—considering the function of the metal, both as structural material or additive. For each material and packaging, factors affecting the related risk of contamination are analysed. Some case studies are examined referring to stainless steel, tinplate, aluminium, plastics and innovative packaging. The chapter concludes with a critical review with relation to some examples of metal concentration found in preserved foods, with a particular focus on heavy metals.