A Scientific Article
The academic staff at the College of Education for Pure Sciences/Department of Life Sciences, Prof. Dr. (Ashwaq Kazem Obaid) obtained the acceptance to publish a scientific article tagged with the title (Preservatives and their impact on human health) by the Scientific Articles Committee at the Presidency of Karbala University after the article fulfilled all publication conditions. (Prof. Ashwaq Kazem Obaid) stated that preservatives have a major role in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries to extend their shelf life, prevent the growth of microbes, maintain taste and texture and improve nutritional value. Preservatives are divided into natural and artificial, as recent studies have shown the possibility of using some herbs and spices as anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral, and as antioxidants. Industrial preservatives are manufactured from chemical reactions as cheaper and more effective alternatives, but without proper management of these products can lead to a negative impact not only on human health, but on the level of the biological system and environmental pollution. Preservatives have been used for many years to preserve, flavor, mix, thicken and color foods, and have played an important and fundamental role in reducing serious nutritional deficiencies. The additives help ensure delicious and affordable foods that meet consumer requirements from season to season. One of the main preservatives is nitrite, which is used in the form of salts or free acids. Nitrite salts are added to meat, poultry and fish in minute quantities as a means of preservation and this practice has been common for several years. Adding sodium nitrite as a food additive may react with food amines in the stomach and produce nitrosamine or large numbers of free radicals. These free radicals are known to cause oxidative stress, which can be harmful to various organs including the liver and kidneys. Sodium nitrite reacts with hemoglobin in the blood to form methaemoglobinemia, so it affects the process of blood formation, meaning it reduces hemoglobin that is able to transport oxygen. Sodium nitrite can be converted to nitric oxide, which causes the smooth muscle of blood vessels to relax, thus affecting the glomeruli and renal tubules, leading to vasodilation and then cellular hypoxia and fibrosis followed by death.
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