Location: Chrystal Macmillan Building, Seminar Room 6, The University of Edinburgh
Time: Oct 17th, 10-11.30am:
Food represents the most chemically complex part of the environment to which humans are exposed on a daily basis. Food consists of chemical components that give it nutritional value, such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, water, fibre, vitamins and minerals, and other chemical components that give it flavour and colour. Food also contains chemical pollutants, natural toxins and additives that pass into the food during the food chain from growth, processing, preparation, and storage of food. There are many sources and pathways for chemical contaminants to enter food, with some nutrients added intentionally and others entering food unintentionally as a result of human activity. Food safety is a fundamental public health concern. The seminar collects and presents the most common chemical contaminants in food, as well as the legislation and health risks associated with them.
Highlights: This seminar explores the intricate world of food chemistry, emphasising the dual role of food as a
n essential nutrient and a carrier of chemical contaminants, while also addressing the associated legislation, health risks, and the imperative of food security.
• Food chemistry and food safety
• Legislation and regulation of food safety
• Health risks and awareness on food safety
• An introduction
of a published book to help explore the theme of this seminar
Presenter information:
Prof. Sonja Šostar Turk, Ph.D., is a Professor of Textile Chemistry and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maribor, Slovenia. Since 2008 she has been employed at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the same university where she is Vice-Dean for Postgraduate Studies, head of the Department of Interdisciplinary Sciences, and head of the Institute of Balneology and Climatology. She is a lecturer and co-lecturer of several courses in nursing, management in health and social organization, and food safety. Her research focuses on environmental health, hospital hygiene, and food safety. She has coordinated ten European projects and led forty-one basic and applied national projects and fifteen bilateral projects. She has one patent to her credit. In 2014, she received the prestigious United Nations National Energy Globe Award 2014 in the ‘Water” category for a project with the acronym SMILES under the 7th EU Framework Program (FP7).
