title: Risk assessment for infants exposed to furan from ready-to-eat thermally processed food products in Poland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Thermal processes and long storage of food lead to reactions between reducing sugars and amino acids, or with ascorbic acid, carbohydrates or polyunsaturated fatty acids. As a result of these reactions, new compounds are created. One of these compounds having an adverse effect on human health is furan.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this paper was to estimate the infants exposure to furan found in thermally processed jarred food products, as well as characterizing the risk by comparing the exposure to the reference dose (RfD) and calculating margins of exposure.
  
  
  METHODS
  The material consisted of 301 samples of thermally processed food for infants taken from the Polish market in years 2008 - 2010. The samples included vegetable-meat, vegetables and fruit jarred meals for infants and young children in which the furan levels were analyzed by GC/MS technique. The exposure to furan has been assessed for the 3, 4, 6, 9,12 months old infants using different consumption scenarios.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The levels of furan ranged from <1 microg/kg (LOQ) to 166.9 microg/kg. The average furan concentration in all samples was 40.2 microg/kg. The estimated exposures, calculated with different nutrition scenarios, were in the range from 0.03 to 3.56 microg/kg bw/day and exceeded in some cases RfD set at level of 1 microg/kg bw/day. Margins of exposure (MOE) achieved values even below 300 for scenarios assuming higher consumption of vegetable and vegetable-meat products.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The magnitude of exposure to furan present in ready-to-eat meals among Polish infants is similar to data reported previously in other European countries but slightly higher than indicated in the recent EFSA report. As for some cases the estimated intake exceeds the RfD, and MOE) values are much lower than 10000 indicating a potential health concern, it is necessary to continue monitoring of furan in jarred food and estimate of its intake by infants.
authors: Department of Toxicology and Risk Assessment, National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene in Warsaw. mminorczyk@pzh.gov.pl
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Minorczyk
authors: Katarzyna
authors: K
authors: Góralczyk
authors: Paweł
authors: P
authors: Struciński
authors: Agnieszka
authors: A
authors: Hernik
authors: Katarzyna
authors: K
authors: Czaja
authors: Monika
authors: M
authors: Łyczewska
authors: Wojciech
authors: W
authors: Korcz
authors: Andrzej
authors: A
authors: Starski
authors: Jan K
authors: JK
authors: Ludwicki
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001942:Breast Feeding; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057140:Fast Foods / Q000032:analysis*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D005663:Furans / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food / Q000032:analysis*; D008461:Meat Products / Q000032:analysis; D011044:Poland; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005663:Furans; C039281:furan