Контроль нітратів у продуктах рослинного походження

Abstract

The issue of food safety and quality control is a top priority for every country. Owing to the intensive use of chemicals and preparations during the cultivation of crops of plant origin, there are cases (25-70%) when in the products sold, the content of nitrates is much higher than the norms. Consumption of such products can provoke deterioration in overall health, as exposure to high doses of nitrates leads to the development of tissue hypoxia in humans and inhibits oxidative phosphorylation. Chronic forms of nitrate poisoning due to oxygen starvation of organs and tissues, which is accompanied by impaired metabolism, reproductive function, suppression of immunity. These research results indicate the urgency of the control of nitrates in plant products consumed by the population of Ukraine. The purpose of the study was to establish the exceedance of the permitted levels of nitrate content in plant products that were tested at the State Research Institute for Laboratory Diagnostics and Veterinary Expertise during 2018-2019. Materials and methods. The analysis of the obtained data was carried out on the basis of the results of studies of nitrate content in samples of plant products, which were tested at the laboratory for determination of veterinary preparations and contaminants of the Research Chemical-Toxicology Department of the State Institute for Scientific and Technological Research during 2018-2019. Studies on the nitrate content were performed by ionometric method according to the current DSTU 4948: 2008 Fruits, vegetables and products of their processing. Methods for determining nitrate content. Results. The analysis of the results of the research conducted during 2018-2019 shows that in all types of studied plant products revealed exceedance of the maximum permissible levels (MPL) of nitrate content. It should be noted that a comparative analysis of the data obtained in 2018-2019 indicates the dynamics of an increase in the number of tested plant products with an excess of MPL of nitrates from 18 to 22%. Excess nitrates in plant products in 2018 were found to be more commonly found in beet, strawberry and carrot samples in 2018, and in 2019 in zucchini, cabbage and cucumbers. Probably, the harvesting of vegetables, from the data of the studied samples, was carried out in the early stages of plant vegetation. It is known that nitrates are most intensely absorbed by plants during the development of stems and leaves, not during the period of full maturation. Probably because of these samples of vegetable products the excess of MPL of nitrates was determined, which indicates that the vegetables are not suitable for consumption, since they can potentially cause toxic effects on the human body.