食品专业英语lesson12

Food safety 食品安全

New words

carcin(o)- 癌

-gen/-genic/-genous 原，产生

carinogen 致癌物质

toxic 有毒，中毒

logical 逻辑学的

toxicological 毒物学的

anti- 反，抗，非

oxidant 氧化剂

antioxidant 抗氧化剂

radio- 无线电，辐射，放射

nuclide 核素

radionuclide 放射性核素

intra- 内的，在内的

intrastate 州内的

fraud 欺骗，欺诈

safrole 黄樟油精，黄樟素

symphytine 聚合草素

preservative 防腐剂

cadmium 镉

mercury 汞

The question,“Is the food safe?”, usually evokes an emotional response. Everybody has a right to a safe and wholesome food supply. 食品是否安全这个问题常常会引起人情绪化的反应。每一个人都有权获得安全、健康的食品。

Yet the question of food safety is a complicated one. 然而食品安全问题是一个复杂的问题。

The concept of food safety has many facets. Perhaps the most obvious, and certainly the most prevalent problem of food safety is microbiological food poisoning. 食品安全有许多方面，也许食品安全中最明显的，最普遍的问题是食品的微生物毒害。

This is serious problem in nearly every country, but another aspect of food safety is primarily concerned with chemicals. 这是几乎在每一个国家都很严重的问题，但是食品安全的另一个主要关注的方面主要与化学药品有关。

Some chemicals should be there and some should not. Chemicals in our food supply come from six sources. 一些化学药品应该添加，而另一些不应该添加。食品中的化学药品来源于六个方面。

These are industrial accidents, intentional fraud, natural compounds, food additives, pesticides, and environmental pollutants. 它们是工业事故，有意的欺骗，天然化合物，食品添加剂，杀虫剂和环境污染。

All require a different concept of food safety a different approach. 以上所有这些都需要用不同的方法来评价食品安全。

Industrial accidents工业事故

The problem of industrial accidents is difficult and complex. In our technological society

there will always be accidents. 工业事故问题是困难而复杂的，在科技社会中，常常会有事故发生。

We have to gear our laws and responses so that these unfortunate occurrences are minimized.我们必须调整法律和反应以尽量减少这些不幸的发生。

Natural Toxicant in Food 食品中天然毒素

Toxicants occurring naturally in foods are not subject to regulatory control, and many would not receive approval if they were proposed as food additives at the levels in which they occur. Some are actually carcinogens and would not be allowed in any amount.食品中天然存在的毒素不受法律法规的调控，如果把它们天然存在的剂量作为它们添加剂的添加水平，就不能获得批准。其中一些实际上是致癌剂，不允许添加。

For example, the use of safrole, a flavoring agent from the sassafras root, is not permitted as a food additive because of its association with liver cancer; however, it is naturally present in small amount in a number of spices normally consumed. 例如，黄樟素，檫木根中的一种风味剂的使用，由于它和肝癌有关，不允许用作食品添加剂；然而，它在许多日常消费的香味料小剂量天然存在。

Aflatoxin, a known carcinogen of high potency, is the product of a mold that occurs on peanuts and cereal grains, particularly in climates of high temperature and humidity. 黄曲霉毒素，一种强致癌剂，是花生和谷物生霉后-特别是在高温高湿条件下生霉后一种霉菌的产物。

Herbal teas contain a number of potentially harmful substances; some of them, such as the alkaloid symphytine in comfrey tea, are carcinogens. Fortunately, none of these occur in amounts that would be harmful at normal levels of use. 草药茶可能含有许多可能有害的物质，其中一些是致癌物，如聚合草中的生物碱-聚合草素。幸运的是，这些物质发生的剂量在正常使用的情况下都不会造成危害。

Food additives 食品添加剂

The compounds added to foods for specific purposes are called food additives. 添加到食品中的具有特定用途的化合物称为食品添加剂。

Examples are antioxidants added to oils to prevent rancidity, preservatives to prevent food from spoiling, colorants to make food more appealing, etc. 例如，把抗氧化剂添加到油脂中以防止酸败，防腐剂防止食物的腐败，着色剂使食品更吸引人等等。

Most of these chemicals are generally regarded as necessary and safe. 这些化合物中的大多数被认为是必须的，安全的。

Pesticides 杀虫剂

Pesticide chemicals are used in the production of plants and animals. 杀虫剂常用在植物和动物的生产中。

Many chemicals are essential for controlling insects and fungi in plants and to promote better health in animals. Residues may find their way into food. 许多化学制剂对控制植物中的昆虫和菌类，提高动物的健康状况是必须的。在食品中可能会有这些化合物的残留。

To obtain approval of a particular pesticide, the manufacturer must supply the EPA with data from toxicological studies, residue data, and justification of use in terms of economics and an adequate food supply. 为了使一个特殊杀虫剂获得许可，制造商必须给美国环保局提供毒理学研究的数据，残留量，使用的经济性以及充足的食物供应。

A risk-benefit analysis leads to rejection or acceptance and establishment of a legal tolerance. Approval is granted only for the specific commodity application requested. 风险效益评估决定剔除或是接受该种杀虫剂，并建立一个法定的容许量。只有对特定商品的使用请求是允许的。