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Taint Resolution in the Food Industry  
Sources of Taint
Identification of the chemical compound responsible for the taint is the first step in taint resolution. The next step is to uncover the source of the taint; this requires knowledge of the chemical and physical properties of the taint compound, the food, raw materials and packaging, as well as a good understanding of the manufacturing process and transportation method. The successful investigator will take all of these parameters into account and, by a combination of science and detective work, ultimately identify the source of the taint.

Some common sources of taint are listed below.

  • Solvent residues
  • Plasticisers
  • Process Chemicals
  • Contaminated raw materials
  • Contaminated water
  • Thermal degradation products
  • Chemical degradation products
  • Microbiological metabolites
In its simplest form, tainting occurs by contamination of the food with a single chemical compound from a single source (eg solvent vapours from printing inks on the packaging). These cases are relatively easy to solve. However, in some cases the source of taint appears nebulous because the taint compound was formed by a series of chemical reactions involving non-tainting chemicals from a variety of sources. In these cases the taint compound cannot be attributed to a single source and the investigator needs to determine the sources of the precursor compounds and to establish the chain of events which led to the formation of the taint compound.

Mechanisms for Taint Migration
Food will only become tainted if the taint compound is actually present in the food. The mechanism by which the taint compound (or in some cases its precursor) moves into the food is called migration. There are many forms of migration, some of which are listed below. The variety of chemical and physical properties of tainting compounds means that some compounds have preferred migration routes, and conversely some taints can be prevented by blocking the migration mechanism. However, the preferred method of taint resolution will always be the elimination of the taint compound at its source.

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