Occurrence of (suspected) genotoxic flavoring substances in Belgian alcohol-free beers.

The regulatory landscape of flavorings is evolving, thereby putting pressure on control laboratories to develop analytical methods for a wide range of compounds in various types of food and drinks. In order to improve the monitoring of flavoring substances, a versatile and accurate analytical method using the solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) technique coupled to GC-MS(SIM) was developed and validated. Focus was put on authorized flavoring substances requiring specific attention due to a genotoxic concern based on information from European risks assessment reports. Thirty-seven (suspected) genotoxic flavoring substances were analyzed in a selection of ten alcohol-free beers. Five suspected genotoxic compounds (i.e. 1-(2-furyl)-2-propanone, 2-acetylfuran, 2-acetyl-5-methylfuran, 2-acetyl-3,5-dimethylfuran, hex-2-eno-1,4-lactone) as well as two confirmed genotoxic flavoring substances (p-mentha-1,8-dien-7-al, 2,4-pentanedione) were identified and quantified among the selected samples. Low concentrations and natural occurrences of the identified compounds suggested that these were not added as such but rather originated from heat-treatments or from plant-based extracts.

A simple multi-residue method for the determination of pesticides in fruits and vegetables using a methanolic extraction and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: optimization and extension of scope.

In 2004, a new multi-residue pesticides method had been published using methanol as extraction solvent. Our goal for this study was to optimize the analytical scheme while extending the compound scope from 19 to 200 pesticides. The main changes from the original method take place at the sample extraction and processing with a special attention to make the overall method fit for routine analysis with minimal cost. Hence, after a quick Ultra-Turrax homogenization with a methanolic solution, the sample is simply diluted before the separation and detection by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography and MS/MS detection for quantitative and confirmatory purposes. The performance of the method including limits of quantification (LOQs), linearity, matrix effect, precision was evaluated during validation in accordance with the European Union SANCO/12571/2013 regulatory guidelines. Two representative matrices, lettuce and orange, were selected and fortified at two concentration levels for these experiments. At the LOQ and ten times the LOQ, recoveries of the analytes were mostly within 70-120%, with coefficients of variation lower than 25% in intra-day repeatability conditions. In addition to being simple and fast, these results demonstrate the suitability of the optimized method for the analysis of large scope pesticides in routine laboratories.

Dietary intake of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs of the Belgian population.

The World Health Organization recommends assessing human exposure to contaminants on a regular basis. In order to assess the current dietary exposure of the Belgian adult population to PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs and to update exposure estimates of 2000-2001, a total diet study was designed. The mean dietary intake of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in the Belgian adult population in 2008 was estimated to be 0.72pgTEQkgbw(-1)d(-1) (middle bound concentrations, TEF of 1998) based on occurrence data of 2008 and national food consumption data of 2004. This value is clearly below the Tolerable Weekly Intake (TWI) of 14pgTEQkgbw(-1)week(-1) set by the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission and below the provisional tolerable monthly intake of 70pgTEQkgbw(-1)month(-1) set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. Considering the cumulative distribution, the intake was less than 1pgTEQkgbw(-1)d(-1) for more than 80% of the population, and less than 2pgTEQkgbw(-1)d(-1) for the entire population. When using the 2005 TEF instead of the 1998 TEF, the mean dietary intake in the Belgian adult population was estimated to be 0.61pgTEQkgbw(-1)d(-1).