title: Dietary exposure of secondary school students in Hong Kong to benzoic acid in prepackaged non-alcoholic beverages.
abstract: This study evaluated the dietary exposure of secondary school students in Hong Kong to benzoic acid from pre-packaged non-alcoholic beverages. Exposure was estimated using local food consumption data of secondary school students obtained by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire in 2000 and the benzoic acid level detected in pre-packaged beverages, including soft drink (both diet/light and regular types), fruit juice, soy milk, Chinese tea and coffee/tea) available locally in late 2006. The estimated dietary exposure to benzoic acid from pre-packaged beverages of average and high consumers (95(th) percentile) was 0.31 and 0.97 mg kg(-1) bw day(-1), respectively. These exposures accounted for 6.1 and 19.3% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI: 0-5 mg kg(-1) bw) of benzoic acid for average and high consumers, respectively. As in other countries, soft drinks contributed most to dietary exposure to benzoic acid from pre-packaged beverages in Hong Kong.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Food Safety, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Ka Ming
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Cheok Man
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Stephen Wai Cheung
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Yuk Yin
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017195:Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000367:Age Factors; D019817:Benzoic Acid / Q000032:analysis*; D001628:Beverages / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D018857:Food Packaging; D005520:Food Preservatives / Q000032:analysis*; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005520:Food Preservatives; D019817:Benzoic Acid