Food additives & contaminants. Part B, Surveillance最新文献

Twenty two mycotoxins in 136 durum wheat collected from Tunisia in 2020 and 2021 were investigated. Mycotoxins were analyzed by UHPLCMS/MS. In 2020, 60.9% of the samples were contaminated with Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and/or enniatin. Whereas, in 2021, 34.4% were contaminated by enniatins. AFB1 was detected only in 2020, in the continental region (6/46) and all samples exceeded limits. AFB1 was detected in stored wheat (24-37.8 µg/kg) but also in pre-stored wheat (17-28.4 µg/kg) and in one sample collected in the field (21 µg/kg). Enniatin A1, enniatin B and enniatin B1 were detected in wheat collected in the field (30-7684 µg/kg), pre-storage (42-1266 µg/kg) and storage (65.8-498.2 µg/kg) from the continental region also, in sample collected in pre-storage (31.3-1410 µg/kg) and at harvest (48- 1060 µg/kg). Samples had a water activity less than 0.7 and moisture content ranged between 09-14%. AFB1 level represent a health risk to the Tunisian consumers.

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂), an E171 manufacturer-made food additive, is extensively utilised as a colourant in drug and a food products. Some studies showed that most of confectionary and food items contain inexplicable particles. The aim of this article is to determine the size and structure of TiO₂ nanoparticles in different food products. Ten food samples, including coffee cream, white chocolate concentrate, frosting, gum, yoghurt candy, hard candies and chewy candies, were investigated for this purpose. The crystalline structure and particle size of TiO₂ were determined by Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). TEM images revealed that a few of the extracted nanoparticles had a rod-like shape, but most were spherical. Also, the size of the TiO₂ particle had a wide distribution between 12 and 450 nm. Thus, to avoid human health risk, crucial factors such as size, and shape should be considered and regulated by food authorities.

The aim of the study was to screen for the presence of antimicrobial residues in poultry eggs from Bangladesh using the Charm II radio-receptor assay in the absence of expensive confirmatory instrumentation. This was based on cut-off values as set in the validation guidelines according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/808. Fortified eggs spiked with fixed concentrations of doxycycline, erythromycin A, sulphamethazine, and benzylpenicillin were used to determine the cut-off values and detection capabilities (CCβ). Other validation parameters included were applicability, ruggedness, and robustness. A total of 201 egg mix samples from native organic chicken, duck, and commercial farm-raised laying hens (both brown and white eggs) were tested and after analysis 13%, 10%, and 4.5% of the egg mix samples showed positive signals for sulphonamides, macrolides/lincosamides, and tetracyclines, respectively. Presence of multiple drug residues were also suspected in 11 out of 201 egg mix samples.

Food supplements should not contain substances considered unsafe or pose a health risk to consumers. In recent years illegal adulterants have been found in various functional foods without notification of their presence or amount in the labelling. In this study, a validated method was developed and applied as a screening method to detect 124 forbidden substances belonging to 13 classes of compounds in food supplements. Liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) and a simple and rapid extraction protocol was applied to 110 food supplements collected from the internet market or during official controls in Italy. The percentage of non-compliant samples was 4.5%, relatively high compared with the official control results for these substances usually obtained on other food matrices. The results suggested the need to strengthen controls in this field to detect food supplement adulteration, which represents a potential health risk for the consumer.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are noted for their hepatotoxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic effects in animals and humans following metabolic activation in the liver. In this study, herbal supplements sold in Ghana for sexual improvement were analysed for the presence of 64 PAs using LC-MS/MS analysis. Up to 17 different PAs were identified in 19 out of the 37 samples analysed. The sum of PAs in samples ranged from 5 to 3204 μg kg^-1. Since the PA content in the herbal medicinal preparations was generally lower than in honey samples, their presence was mainly attributed to cross-contamination. The observed levels would result in estimated daily intakes from 0.01 to 12 μg per day or 0.0002 to 0.2 μg kg^-1 bw day^-1 for a person weighing 70 kg. The margins of exposure ranged from 1200 to 1,400,000 with eight samples showing values below 10,000, thus indicating a health concern.

In this study 3307 samples of 24 vegetables and fruits from 18 regions of Henan Province, China, were collected in 2021 with the aim of assessing the levels of pesticide residues and analysing the differences between different sources in Henan Province. Thirteen kinds of pesticides were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and detection rates were compared by the chi-square test. In all samples, except ginger, pimento, edible fungi and yam, pesticide residues were detected. The detection rates of difenoconazole, acetamiprid, carbendazim, procymidone, emamectin benzoate, lambda-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin and dimethomorph in supermarkets and traditional farmers' markets were different. The difenoconazole group and the dimethomorph group were both statistically different (P < 0.05). This study showed common vegetables and fruits to contain pesticide residues in Henan Province and provided a scientific basis for their evaluation. Different sources take different regulatory measures to control pesticide residues to ensure food safety.

Although restricting environmental quality values for organotin compounds (OTs) are set by Directive 2013/39/EU of the European Parliament, marine environment remains being affected due to maritime circulation at global scale. Fish and seafood accumulate OTs, making fish and seafood consumption the main source of OTs in humans. Because of the fish and seafood matrices complexity and the required low limits of detection, a robust and fast procedure for the quantification of OTs in fish and seafood, using ultrasound-assisted extraction and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, was validated and applied. Detection (2.7 µg Sn kg^-1) and quantification (8.0 µg Sn kg^-1) limits, repeatability and intermediate precision (<10%), accuracy by analysing ERM®-CE477 Mussel Tissue and analytical recoveries (65-122%) were assessed. Multivariate analysis shown that the matrix effect for some OTs displayed good negative correlation with the fat and protein content. Health risk assessment of OTs intake revealed no serious risk for human consumption.

Ceramic products are among the most frequently used food contact materials. Health risks associated with ceramic tableware usually arise from the migration of heavy metals. In this study, 767 pieces of ceramic tableware of different shapes and types were collected across China, and the migration levels of 18 elements were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Migration tests were conducted according to the Chinese National Food Safety Standard - Ceramic Ware (GB 4806.4) with microwaveable and non-microwavable samples under different conditions. The food consumption of consumers via different shapes of ceramic tableware was obtained through a self-reported web-based survey, and the estimated dietary intakes of the studied elements were calculated accordingly. The exposure assessment showed that certain metals leached from the ceramic tableware at levels of concern. In addition, the applicability of the migration experiment conditions for microwaveable ceramic ware in GB 4806.4 needs to be further investigated.

Lettuce is Colombia's most widely cultivated leafy vegetable, but in the absence of good agricultural practices, there is the risk of some pesticide residues that affect its safety and quality. This work aimed to identify the pesticides used by farmers for the lettuce crop, the iceberg variety (Lactuca sativa var. capitata), in some municipalities of Cundinamarca (Colombia) and to investigate their residues by sampling and analysis. The farmers reported in the survey 44 active ingredients, most fungicides (54%), while the laboratory analysis showed 23 chemical compounds (52% insecticides, 39% fungicides and 9% herbicides). In addition, dithiocarbamates, procymidone and some organophosphates were among the active ingredients that exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs). About 80% of the identified pesticides were not registered with the regulatory entity Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA) for their use in lettuce, but some were in commercial products legally registered in Latin American and Caribbean countries.