Furan content in commercial baby foods produced in Estonia
Laen...
Kuupäev
2024
Kättesaadavus
Ajakirja pealkiri
Ajakirja ISSN
Köite pealkiri
Kirjastaja
Estonian University of Life Sciences
Abstrakt
The aim of this study was to analyse the Estonian surveillance data on furan content in baby food.
Organic baby food pouches were collected under surveillance program of the Agriculture and Food Board in 2021
and 2022. Baby foods were collected from Estonian retail markets. Materials included eighteen commercial
organic baby food pouches samples from 2021 and twenty samples from year 2022. Products were categorized to
the following groups: vegetable-based baby foods, vegetable-meat based baby foods and fruits-based baby foods.
Analyses were performed in Eurofins WEJ Contaminants GmbH laboratory, in Germany. The determination of
furan in foodstuffs was done by gas chromatographic headspace analysis (headspace GC/MS) according to
JCFU4, CON-PV 00572 (2021-03) HS-GC-MS method. Quantification limit was 5 μg kg-1.
Furan contents of baby foods of various compositions were different. In 2021 and 2022, a total of 38 infant food
samples were analysed for furan content. The majority of samples analysed were fruit-based infant foods (n = 27),
with fewer vegetable-based samples (n = 3) and vegetable meat based food samples (n = 8). The highest average
furan levels were found in vegetable meat-based infant foods (120 μg kg-1). In contrast, fruit-based infant foods
had an average furan level of 7.40 μg kg-1. From the category of fruit-based foods, the highest furan content was
detected in Lingonberry-blueberry-rye porridge. In these products the furan content was 17 and 25 μg kg-1,
respectively. The main components added to cereal-based infant foods were fruits, but since cereal-based
ingredients were also added, their furan content was slightly higher than that of purely fruit-based infant foods.
Difference was found between fruit- and vegetable-based baby food groups. Vegetable-based infant foods had an
average furan level of 43 μg kg-1. All fruit-based samples contained similar amount of furan (SD ± 4.6). Both
vegetable-based and vegetable-meat-based groups had high dispersion between the data indicating that they
contain furan in very different amounts (SD ± 36.81 and ± 67.78). Based on the results of statistical comparison
between studied food groups, it can be concluded that there was significant difference (P < 0.05) between the
furan content of each baby food group. The highest median was in the vegetable-meat-based group and the least
was in the fruit-based group. Vegetable-based foods usually require higher temperatures and/or longer cooking
times, which potentially increases the furan formation.
Vegetable- and vegetable-meat-based food groups contained higher amounts of furan compared to fruit-based
food groups. The furan content of these three food groups were compared and a significant difference was found.
In this study, the highest furan content was in the vegetable-meat-based food group. Furan formation in baby
foods is a significant safety concern and strategies to reduce the formation of furan should be addressed.
Kirjeldus
Märksõnad
baby foods, furan, content, food safety, surveillance, abstracts