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Metal detectors are used as a first line of defence
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Monday, 28 April, 2025, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Dr K Kavitha & Dr G Sangeetha Devi
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Metal contamination is one of the most common physical pollutants found in food. It can be caused by small metal components, such as screws, nails, or equipment, that break off during the process of manufacture or packaging in food industry. These hazardous metals originate from a number of recognised sources, such as the soil, which releases them into food, the air, and water, as well as human activities, including the use of pesticides and herbicides, irrigation and fertiliser in agriculture. Other factors include cigarette smoking, sewage and garbage disposal, factories, paints and vehicle emissions.
Although metals like cobalt, copper, chromium, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium and zinc serve as micronutrients which were essential for various biochemical and physiological functions and inadequate supply of these micronutrients results in a variety of deficiency diseases or syndromes, certain heavy metals like lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium are the main culprits of metal contamination in food that have a relatively high density compared to water. Seafood contributes as major source of arsenic along with recognisable amount of cadmium and mercury. Apart from this, certain cereals, grains, vegetables contain arsenic and cadmium. Many foods especially those tainted by lead pipes can be a source of lead.
The accumulation of heavy metals in plants and soil prevails as a significant problem due to the possible health hazards to consumers. High concentrations of heavy metals or prolonged exposure can be harmful to human health. The capacity of these elements to circulate in blood and concentrate in different organs can lead to a variety of health issues. The general symptoms of cadmium, lead, arsenic, mercury, zinc, copper and aluminium poisoning include gastrointestinal symptoms, diarrhoea, stomatitis, tremor, haemoglobinuria, ataxia, paralysis, and vomiting, as well as convulsion, depression and pneumonia when fumes and vapours of these are inhaled. However, individual metals may show distinct signs of toxicity, right from cellular toxicity to carcinogenesis.
Regulatory organisations such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have set guidelines for the normal amounts of heavy metals in food, which vary depending on the metal and food type. These limitations are typically stated in micrograms per kilogram (µg/kg) or parts per million (ppm). For instance, mercury restrictions are normally 0.5 ppm in fish and 0.1 ppm in salt. Typically, edible oils have an arsenic limit of 0.1 mg/kg and salt has a limit of 0.5 mg/kg.
Despite maximum care metallic contaminations of food products during the production process cannot be fully excluded. Metal particles that enter the product during the production process or already are contained in the raw material cause serious health issues of consumers. Metal detection is an important part of a comprehensive contamination control programme in every food processing industry particularly in the food production sector and it helps to improve product quality, hygiene and ensuring safety to the consumers. A negative brand image and a loss of consumer trust brought on by contaminated food goods create even more serious and long-lasting harm possess a threat to the manufacturers.
Metal detector is an equipment used to detect and remove products with foreign metal object contamination in food industry. Traditionally, metal detectors are used as a first line of defence in detecting ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless-steel contamination in packaged food products helps to prevent damage to machinery and production downtime and ensure product quality in line with the required standards and certifications.
Recent advancement in technology paved way for emergence of many detection methods those can be performed in each stage of the manufacturing process and can be utilised for a wide range of purposes, such as inspecting bread and baked goods, meat and sausage products, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, sugar, spices and so on to analyse the presence of various types of heavy metals.
It is advisable to conduct inspections at critical control points (HACCPs) throughout the food production process in order to identify equipment defects which constitute major contributor of metal contamination. Food goods in their last stage after packaging are therefore examined again using a metal detector or an X-ray system to completely rule out contamination. Food quality improvement begins with knowing what metals to look for and how to identify them. It is also worth considering the inspection of raw materials, along with a number of crucial control points and the final product, for the best possible product protection against metal contamination.
Although we prefer to think that our food is secure, trace metals and other particles can contaminate it, which is why food safety is a big worry for both producers and consumers. For a long time, food pollutants have posed a serious risk to human health. In addition to affecting human life and health, food safety has a significant effect on social stability and national economy. Metal detection helps producers keep tainted food out of consumers' hands and guarantees the safety of their goods. Therefore, in order to address food safety issues and safeguard human health, it is imperative to create easy, quick, effective, and inexpensive technologies for detecting food heavy metal contamination.
(Dr Kavitha is associate professor of foods and nutrition, Vellalar College for Women, Erode, Tamil Nadu; Dr Devi is assistant professor of biochemistry, Vellalar College for Women, Erode, Tamil Nadu)
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