Cumulative Dietary Risk Assessment of Benzophenone-Type Photoinitiators from Packaged Foodstuffs

Photoinitiators used in ultraviolet-cured ink may migrate from food packaging materials into food products. Therefore, we conducted a dietary risk assessment of exposure to benzophenone (BP)-type photoinitiators by quantifying and reducing uncertainties associated with the risk characterization. A total of 362 food packaging samples including 180 cereals, 136 fruit and vegetable juices, and 46 milk samples were subjected to fast pesticides extraction to determine photoinitiator residues. The average daily dose (ADD) of BP was the highest in the age group of zero to three years, with a P97.5 ADD of 2.56 × 10−4 mg/kg bw/day. The ADD of 2-hydroxybenzophenone (2-OHBP) was the highest in the age group of three to six years, with a P97.5 UB ADD of 3.52 × 10−5 mg/kg bw/day. The estimated UB P97.5 ADD for each age group was below the toxicological concern threshold of 0.0015 mg/kg bw/day. The cumulative toxicity of all BPs, evaluated using the MOET value, was at an acceptable level. Although the MOET value of BPs was above the safety limit in the foodstuffs studied herein, this result may be different if Taiwan were to follow regulation guidelines for BP-type photoinitiators based on the specific migration limit for the unmeasured BP residues in other foodstuffs.

Ochratoxin A and 2′R-Ochratoxin A in Selected Foodstuffs and Dietary Risk Assessment

The aim of this study was to estimate the contamination of grain coffee, roasted coffee, instant coffee, and cocoa purchased in local markets with ochratoxin A (OTA) and its isomerization product 2′R-ochratoxin A (2′R-OTA), and to assess risk of dietary exposure to the mycotoxins. OTA and 2′R-OTA content was determined using the HPLC chromatography with immunoaffinity columns dedicated to OTA. OTA levels found in all the tested samples were below the maximum limits specified in the European Commission Regulation EC 1881/2006. Average OTA concentrations calculated for positive samples of grain coffee/roasted coffee/instant coffee/cocoa were 0.94/0.79/3.00/0.95 µg/kg, with the concentration ranges: 0.57–1.97/0.44–2.29/0.40–5.15/0.48–1.97 µg/kg, respectively. Average 2′R-OTA concentrations calculated for positive samples of roasted coffee/instant coffee were 0.90/1.48 µg/kg, with concentration ranges: 0.40–1.26/1.00–2.12 µg/kg, respectively. In turn, diastereomer was not found in any of the tested cocoa samples. Daily intake of both mycotoxins with coffee/cocoa would be below the TDI value even if the consumed coffee/cocoa were contaminated with OTA/2′R-OTA at the highest levels found in this study. Up to now only a few papers on both OTA and 2′R-OTA in roasted food products are available in the literature, and this is the first study in Poland.

Dissipation, residues analysis and risk assessment of metconazole in grapes under field conditions using gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Metconazole (MEZ) is widely used in prevention and control of fruit and vegetable diseases. Here, a simple and reliable gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) method, using modified QuEChERS (“quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe”) extraction method, was developed for determining the dissipation and residue of MEZ in grapes and soil, and the dietary risk of MEZ residues in grapes was evaluated for Chinese people. The average recoveries of MEZ in two matrices were 80.72–100.36% with relative standard deviations of 1.56–6.16%. The same limits of detection and quantification in grapes and soil were 0.0006 mg/kg and 0.002 mg/kg, respectively. Under field conditions, the half-life of MEZ dissipation in grapes ranged from 11.75 to 20.39 days. The final residues of MEZ in grapes and soil ranged from 0.002 mg/kg to 0.19 mg/kg at pre-harvest intervals of 7, 14 and 21 days. The whole dietary risk assessment indicated acute hazard index and hazard quotient to be less than 1, implying the risk of MEZ was acceptable. This is the first study conducted on the dissipation, residue analysis and risk assessment of MEZ in grapes, thus providing reference for the detection and risk assessment of MEZ in other agricultural products.