Opapathika – ඕපපාතික

The book will discuss natural toxins in food as phytochemicals (in plants), zoo chemicals (in animals) and mycotoxins (in fungi). Furthermore, several compounds thought anti-nutritional or toxic in the past have now been shown to have a beneficial effect on human’s nutrition and wellbeing. Because Food is one of the most essential resources for the survival of living organisms. Salt, sugar, starch, fat, protein, some minerals, vitamins, and even water, perform harmful effects when at larger concentrations. Natural toxicants, for which there is no standard definition, are generally understood to be chemicals with potentially toxic effects on human beings because of their natural occurrence in food. Natural toxicants found in food include naturally occurring toxic or antinutritive compounds that are generated by a variety of sources such as plants, animals, produced during processing and foodborne pathogens such as bacteria and fungi.

This book mainly caters to the need of (i) Graduate and Postgraduate students in Science Faculties and Medical Faculties who learn Food toxicology (ii) Medical professionals who wish to understand if a particular problem they have in medical practice (ii) Researchers in the field of natural food toxins.