Citation

Afful EY, Frimpong-Manso S, Bekoe SO, Barfi CO, Opuni KFM, Oppong MB. Drug Metab. Bioanal. Lett. 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Bentham Science Publishers)

DOI

10.2174/2949681015666220810125820

PMID

35950247

Abstract

Paracetamol poisoning is the commonest cause of acute liver injury. Therefore, the unethical use of paracetamol as a food tenderizer poses a threat to human health. Although this is a common practice in Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, and Kenya, there are few or no scientific records on the use of paractemaol as a food tenderizer and its deleterious effects, thus making it difficult to regulate this practice. Thus, this review aims to fully collate and present a systematic overview of the literature on the use of paracetamol as a food tenderizer in these countries, the potentially harmful effects posed by the practice, and measures in place to curb the situation. Additionally, this review aims to reveal the scientific gaps and areas requiring more research, thus providing a reference for further research to regulate this unscrupulous practice. From our extensive review of the literature, the high cost of fuel used in cooking and longer cooking times are the main reasons for the inappropriate use of paracetamol as a food tenderizer. Also, this review has shown that little has been done to create public awareness of this unethical practice. Furthermore, some ways to monitor, control and regulate this practice have been proposed.

Language: en

Keywords

Toxicity; Analytical methods.; Para-aminophenol; Paracetamol; Tenderization