Toxicological assessment of 3-chloropropane-1,2-diol and glycidol fatty acid esters in food

Fatty acid esters of 3‐chloropropane‐1,2‐diol (3‐MCPD) and glycidol are a newly identified class of food process contaminants. They are widespread in refined vegetable oils and fats and have been detected in vegetable fat‐containing products, including infant formulas. There are no toxicological data available yet on the 3‐MCPD and glycidol esters, and the primary toxicological concern is based on the potential release of 3‐MCPD or glycidol from the parent esters by lipase‐catalyzed hydrolysis in the gastrointestinal tract. Although 3‐MCPD is assessed as a nongenotoxic carcinogen with a tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 2 μg/kg body weight (bw), glycidol is a known genotoxic carcinogen, which induces tumors in numerous organs of rodents. The initial exposure estimates, conducted by Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) under the assumption that 100% of the 3‐MPCD and glycidol are released from their esters, revealed especially that infants being fed commercial infant formula could ingest harmful amounts of 3‐MCPD and glycidol. However, the real oral bioavailability may be lower. As this gives rise for toxicological concern, the currently available toxicological data of 3‐MCPD and glycidol and their esters are summarized in this review and discussed with regard to data gaps and further research needs.