Food Toxins

Catalog description

Food Toxins focuses on natural and synthetic toxins that are relevant to the food system including those produced by food plants; those introduced by contamination of foods by microbes, non-food plants, or environmental/agricultural chemicals. The course provides an overview of basic principles of toxicology and the approaches used to study the potential toxicity of a compound. Using this foundational information, the course explores the sources, biological effects, and mechanisms of action of various classes of food-relevant toxins including: plant defense molecules, agricultural chemicals (pesticides/herbicides), industrial chemicals, environmental contaminants, microbial toxins, and process-induced toxins. Student knowledge will be assessed using a combination of exams, projects, and in-class discussion activities.