Quantification of 4-Methylimidazole in soft drinks, sauces and vinegars of Greek market using two liquid chromatography techniques.
The substance 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) has raised several concerns regarding its toxicity to humans, although no harmonized classification has yet been decided. The regulatory limits for food products set by various authorities in Europe and the USA differ considerably. The purpose of the present study is to compare two liquid chromatography techniques in order to determine the levels of 4-MEI in food products from the Greek market and roughly estimate the possible exposure and relevant health risk for the consumers. A total of thirty-four samples (soft drinks, beers, balsamic vinegars, energy drinks and sauces) were collected and analyzed. The quality parameters for both analytical methodologies (linearity, accuracy, inter day precision, recovery) are presented. No detectable levels of 4-MEI are found in beers and soft drink samples, other than cola type. On the other hand, 4-MEI was detected in all cola type soft drinks (15.8-477.0 ng/ml), energy drinks (57.1%, 6.6-22.5 ng/ml) and vinegar samples (66.7%, 9.7-3034.7 ng/ml), while only one of the sauce samples was found to have a detectable level of 17.5 ng/ml 4-MEI.
Laboratory of Toxicology Science & Research, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
Manolis N
MN
Tzatzarakis
Laboratory of Toxicology Science & Research, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
Elena
E
Vakonaki
University of Crete, Department of Chemistry & Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH-IESL), Heraklion 71003, Greece.
Sofia
S
Moti
Laboratory of Toxicology Science & Research, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
Athanasios
A
Alegakis
General Chemical State Laboratory of Greece, Athens, Greece.
Christina
C
Tsitsimpikou
Department of Agricultural Technology, School of Agriculture Technology, Food Technology and Nutrition, TEI of Western Macedonia, Florina, Greece.
Ioannis
I
Tsakiris
European Food Safety Authority, Parma, Italy.
Marina
M
Goumenou
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation.
Alexander E
AE
Nosyrev
University of Crete, Department of Chemistry & Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH-IESL), Heraklion 71003, Greece.
Apostolos K
AK
Rizos
Laboratory of Toxicology Science & Research, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece. Electronic address: tsatsaka@uoc.gr.
Aristidis M
AM
Tsatsakis
D019342:Acetic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D001628:Beverages / Q000032:analysis* / Q000191:economics; D002253:Carbonated Beverages / Q000032:analysis* / Q000191:economics; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis* / Q000191:economics; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000032:analysis*
D007093:Imidazoles; D019342:Acetic Acid; C023439:4-methylimidazole
4-Methylimidazole; Beverages; Chromatography; Drinks; Mass spectrometry; Vinegars