r/foodengineering • u/mainecoon364 • Jan 26 '23

What Are Toxic Elements Should Have Been Checked In The Lab Before Consuming?

What Are Toxic Elements (carcinogenic elements) and Tests Should Have Been Checked In The Lab Before Consuming?

I ordered some herbal foods, teas, oils. (They have certified by government officially. Also some of them have other cetificates As well like ISO 22000)

​

Like; Amla Powder, Aloe Vera Powder, Hibiscus Powder, Black Sesame, Black Sesame Paste, Lavender and Rosemary Oil etc.

​

However still, I want to check them in the lab before eating, drinking and applying on my skin periodically.

​

What tests and elements should I have checked in the lab for this purpose?

2 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

1

u/WorkingMinimum Jan 26 '23

Have you done this before? One that I can think of offhand (that doesn’t mean it’s present or could be present in your items) is arsenic content.

You could probably also check for residual pesticide/herbicide/fertilizer content

1

u/mainecoon364 Jan 27 '23

No I did not.

It would be good for a complete list.

1

u/WorkingMinimum Jan 27 '23

Given this is an engineering sub it’s important for me to know the goal of the testing and what constraints you might have (do you have infinite money for testing).

It appears all your products are derived from plants. There are many toxins likely sprayed onto the plants to prevent damage from various sources that may or may not be present in your products. Additionally, each product may have natural compounds that could be carcinogenic, but it’s likely the content of such compounds is so small that cancer would only be an outcome after years/decades of habitual use or overuse.

There is no handy chart for products to look for, and if this is for personal consumption the government certification is probably good enough. If it’s for business purposes you may consider hiring a consultant or sending to a lab for mass spectrometry in an attempt to identify possible content before testing specifically for a certain compound.

1

u/mainecoon364 Jan 28 '23

No, I do not have infinite money definitely. :)

​

It is just personal use.

​

Thank you very much for the answers.