Deoxynivalenol and its acetyl derivatives in bread and biscuits in Shandong province of China

In the present study, 100 commercial breads and biscuits were investigated for the occurrence of deoxynivalenol (DON) and its acetylated derivatives 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-Ac-DON) and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-Ac-DON). The target mycotoxins were determined by isotope dilution ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS). DON was determined in 95% of the test samples with a mean value of 153.3 µg/kg. Compared with DON, 3-Ac-DON and 15-Ac-DON were far less frequently detected, with mean values of 1.14 and 0.37 µg/kg, respectively. The estimated daily intakes of the sum of DON and its derivatives in breads and biscuits were 0.0059 and 0.0313 µg/kg bw/day, respectively, which was within the group provisional tolerable daily intake of 1.0 µg/kg bw/day set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. In the future, systematic monitoring programmes of DON and its derivatives in relevant foodstuffs are still necessary for food safety and human health.     

Acrylamide in bread. Effect of prooxidants and antioxidants

Addition of 1% aqueous rosemary extract with approximately 40 mg of gallic acid equivalents or comparable addition of rosemary oil or of dried rosemary leaves to wheat dough reduced the content of acrylamide in wheat buns by 62, 67 and 57%, respectively, compared to wheat buns without rosemary. Increasing the addition of aqueous rosemary extract to 10% did not decrease the acrylamide content further compared to the addition of a 1% extract. The spice dittany showed less effect in wheat buns compared to rosemary and even increased acrylamide formation slightly. The effect of antioxidants on acrylamide formation was confirmed by addition of 1.0 mM (but not 0.1 mM) of the green tea flavonoids epicatechin or epigallocatechin gallate to an aqueous food model. Free radicals were detected by ESR using the spin trap α-(4-Pyridyl 1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone (POBN) in an aqueous model system of 0.060 M glucose and 0.060 M asparagine heated under conditions generating acrylamide, further confirming the impact of free radical intermediates in formation of acrylamide. A modest effect of the peroxides in oxidized oil on acrylamide elimination was observed pointing towards an oxidative induced polymerization of acrylamide. The impact of oxidative processes on acrylamide elimination should not be neglected, since oxidized vegetable oil seems to promote degradation of acrylamide.     

Determination of selenium content in selected Pakistani foods

Owing to increased concern in a number of diseases associated with low-selenium (Se) foods, the estimation of total Se content (TSC) is the focus of research these days. TSC was determined in fruits, vegetables, meat, milk, poultry, fish and cereals. Hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometric method was employed using the wet digestion method. Different certified reference materials were used for the validation of the method. The lowest Se content was found in plant-based foods, whereas the highest was in fish and appreciable in other animal-based foods. The data was compared with TSC data from other countries. TSC in Pakistani foods was comparable with other countries, with few exceptions. This report may serve as a database for TSC in Pakistani foods.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content in commercial Spanish fatty foods

The levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection in different fatty foods from a Spanish market. The average concentration of the sum of total PAHs in edible vegetable oils was below 25 ng/g, whereas the sum of heavy PAHs did not surpass 5 ng/g. Olive pomace oils obtained before the summer of 2001 were an exception because they were highly contaminated. The effects of different technological processes, such as bleaching, deodorization, and hydrogenation, on PAH concentration in edible oils have been studied. The PAH profiles, as well as the influence of cooking procedures, of other fatty foods (margarine, mayonnaise, and oils from canned fishes) have been examined.     

Chromium content in selected convenience and fast foods in Poland

The chromium content in selected convenience and fast foods was determined. Samples were wet digested with HNO₃ (69%) in a microwave digestion system. Chromium was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GF-AAS). The chromium content in convenience food ranged on average from 2.22 to 18.2 μg/100 g, in fast food from 3.76 to 28.6 μg/100 g, and in instant food from 0.34 to 4.75 μg/100 g.     

Acrylamide formation and antioxidant level in biscuits related to recipe and baking

Heated plant foods may contain compounds with adverse health effects (e.g. acrylamide). On the other hand, health-promoting compounds (e.g. antioxidants) have also been identified in such foods. Therefore, a baking experiment with biscuits was carried out to study the potential impact of both acrylamide and antioxidants in that food. Two different wheat flour types – wholemeal (WMF) and white flour type 550 (T550; 0.55% mineral content) – as well as recipe (fat and leavening agent) and thermal input (temperature?×?time) were changed. Furthermore, the effect of an enzymatic asparagine hydrolysation was tested. Antioxidants were determined with two independent procedures ABTS – (2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate)) and FRAP-assay (ferric reducing ability of plasma). WMF samples resulted in an unchanged acrylamide level, but in a significantly higher antioxidant concentration when compared with T550 samples (149 and 141?µg?kg^?1 acrylamide and 9.1 and 5.1?mmol?TE?kg^?1 FW ABTS for WMF and T550, respectively). A reduced fat content yielded in an increased volume. Raising agents had no effect on acrylamide levels, but antioxidants were higher in samples with sodium bicarbonate (SBC) than with ammonium bicarbonate (ABC). Thermal input (temperature?×?time; 150°C?×?25?min to 240°C?×?9?min) indicated an exponential acrylamide increase especially at higher temperatures (from 75 to 236?µg?kg^?1), whereas antioxidant increase was linear (from 7.0 to 7.7?mmol?TE?kg^?1 FW, ABTS). FRAP and ABTS values were correlated on a low level, whereas acrylamide content of biscuits was correlated with FRAP and lightness (R ^2?=?0.62 and 0.47, and 0.71 and 0.85 for WMF and T550, respectively). The enzyme asparaginase reduced acrylamide formation by about 50% for both raising agents (SBC and ABC, respectively), whereas antioxidant levels were not affected. An evaluation of recipe variants with low acrylamide and high antioxidants indicated the advantage of wholemeal biscuits.     

Acrylamide formation and antioxidant level in biscuits related to recipe and baking

Heated plant foods may contain compounds with adverse health effects (e.g. acrylamide). On the other hand, health-promoting compounds (e.g. antioxidants) have also been identified in such foods. Therefore, a baking experiment with biscuits was carried out to study the potential impact of both acrylamide and antioxidants in that food. Two different wheat flour types - wholemeal (WMF) and white flour type 550 (T550; 0.55% mineral content) - as well as recipe (fat and leavening agent) and thermal input (temperature?×?time) were changed. Furthermore, the effect of an enzymatic asparagine hydrolysation was tested. Antioxidants were determined with two independent procedures ABTS - (2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate)) and FRAP-assay (ferric reducing ability of plasma). WMF samples resulted in an unchanged acrylamide level, but in a significantly higher antioxidant concentration when compared with T550 samples (149 and 141?μg?kg(-1) acrylamide and 9.1 and 5.1?mmol?TE?kg(-1) FW ABTS for WMF and T550, respectively). A reduced fat content yielded in an increased volume. Raising agents had no effect on acrylamide levels, but antioxidants were higher in samples with sodium bicarbonate (SBC) than with ammonium bicarbonate (ABC). Thermal input (temperature?×?time; 150°C?×?25?min to 240°C?×?9?min) indicated an exponential acrylamide increase especially at higher temperatures (from 75 to 236?μg?kg(-1)), whereas antioxidant increase was linear (from 7.0 to 7.7?mmol?TE?kg(-1) FW, ABTS). FRAP and ABTS values were correlated on a low level, whereas acrylamide content of biscuits was correlated with FRAP and lightness (R (2?)=?0.62 and 0.47, and 0.71 and 0.85 for WMF and T550, respectively). The enzyme asparaginase reduced acrylamide formation by about 50% for both raising agents (SBC and ABC, respectively), whereas antioxidant levels were not affected. An evaluation of recipe variants with low acrylamide and high antioxidants indicated the advantage of wholemeal biscuits.     

南宁市部分面制食品中铝含量调查

目的 了解南宁市区几种常见面制食品中铝的含量,探寻铝污染食品的影响因素,为监管部门制定防制措施提供依据.方法 在南宁市区酒店、学校和街头零售摊位随机抽取油条28份、糕点32份和膨化食品10份样品进行检测和评价.结果 3类常见面制食品铝含量范围为42.8 ～ 120 6 mg/kg,平均含量为336.7 mg/kg.油条中90％的样品铝含量在320～120 6 mg/kg之间;3类面制食品铝的总体超标率为60.0％,油条、糕点、膨化食品铝超标率分别为92.9％、46.9％、10.0％;酒店、学校和街头零售摊位的油条糕点类面制食品中铝超标率分别为65.8％(25/38)、53.8％ (7/13)、100.0％(9/9),现做现卖的油条糕点类面制食品比定型包装的膨化食品的铝超标率高.结论 南宁市面制食品中铝超标严重,建议进一步加强食品安全监管力度.     

A survey of ethnic foods for microbial quality and content aflatoxin

A range of ethnic foods was examined for their microbiological content in relation to total viable counts (TVC) of aerobic bacteria, counts of presumptive coliforms, yeast and mould counts; presence of Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and Campylobacter spp.; total enumeration of Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus spp.; identification of moulds and the presence of total aflatoxins. Samples, which included cereals, nuts, dried fruits, herbs and spices, were obtained from local retail outlets and distributors. It was established that three samples of pistachio nuts contained significant levels of aflatoxins. The concentration of total aflatoxins in these three nut samples ranged from 15 to 259 mu g/kg of sample. Only two other samples contained trace amounts of aflatoxins, all other samples analysed were found to be free of any detectable level of aflatoxins. TVCs, coliform counts and yeast and mould counts varied widely depending on the matrix tested. Generally, rice, wheat and peanuts produced low counts whereas other nuts, gram flour and spices produced much higher counts. Cl. perfringens, Staph. aureus , and Bacillus spp. were common in spices, nuts and gram flour, however, Listeria monocytogenes was only detected in four samples and in no sample could Salmonella spp, E. coli 0157:H7 or Campylobacter spp. be detected.     

Cobalt content of foods and diets in a Spanish population (short communication)

The WHO Expert Committee on Food Contaminants has pointed out the need of determining the content of foods in trace elements in order to ascertain their contribution to the total intake of oligoelements through the diet. Since the contents in trace elements depend on the environmental features, it is necessary to carry out systematic determinations of trace elements in foods of local origin in order to know the exposure level of population. This work intends to study the cobalt contribution through the diet. The element intake is calculated from the cobalt content in raw foods after elimination of the non-eatable moiety by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, after formation of a chelate with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) and extraction with 4-methyl-2-pentanone (MIBK) according to a procedure developed and verified in a previous paper.     

Heat damage of water biscuits from einkorn,durum and bread wheat flours

To limit heat damage and improve the nutritional properties of bakery products, furosine, glucosylisomaltol, hydroxymethylfurfural, furfural, sugars, α-amylase, β-amylase and colour were assessed during the production of water biscuits from three einkorn, three bread and one durum wheat flours. Heat damage indices, colour and a_w development during baking (from 25 to 75 min duration) of water biscuits from one bread wheat were also studied.     

淀粉及其衍生物在蛋糕饼干中的应用

<正> 淀粉工业为食品行业提供众多功能特性的配料,如能改善组织、增强甜味、减少水活性、控制结晶及延缓老化等的配料,主要材料均由淀粉及其衍生物衍生而成。本文将讨论天然淀粉与变性淀粉、麦芽糊精、葡萄糖浆、葡萄糖及多元醇在蛋糕和饼干中的应用。     

Acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural formation during baking of biscuits: NaCl and temperature–time profile effects and kinetics

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of recipe and temperature–time on the formation of acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) during biscuit baking. Baking experiments were performed with biscuits of two different recipes, with and without NaCl, at 180 °C, 190 °C and 200 °C. Acrylamide and HMF reached highest concentrations at 200 °C for both recipes. The presence of NaCl in the biscuit formulation lowered acrylamide concentrations at 180 °C and 190 °C but not at 200 °C, and led to higher concentrations of HMF at all the tested temperatures. Sucrose hydrolysis was a key step in acrylamide and HMF formation during biscuit baking, even though a significant amount of acrylamide already had formed before the onset of sucrose hydrolysis. A lag phase was observed before sucrose hydrolysis occurred, which might depend on the melting of crystalline sucrose occurring at approximately 180 °C.A mathematical model based on the chemical reaction pathways was developed for the recipe with NaCl baked at 200 °C. The model described the chemical evolution during the last part of biscuit baking, and accurately predicted acrylamide and HMF content at the end of baking. The model showed the significant contribution of the reducing sugars to the formation of both acrylamide and HMF. The model could not be extended to the entire baking period because it was not possible to incorporate the lag phase observed before sucrose hydrolysis. The results reported in this study confirm that the kinetics of acrylamide and HMF formation in real food and dry systems may depend on the physical state of their precursors.     

Determination of acrylamide in foods by pressurized fluid extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry used for a survey of Spanish cereal-based foods

An automated and rapid method for the determination of acrylamide in different food products is presented. The method involves pressurized fluid extraction (PFE) of foods with acetonitrile and precipitation with Carrez reagents. The final extract is analysed by liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS-MS). The main parameters affecting the performance of ESI-MS-MS and PFE were optimized using a design of experiments approach. The limit of quantification of the method was 5 µg kg^-1, and recoveries from incurred samples ranged between 93 and 101%. The accuracy was evaluated using the reference test materials FAPAS T3002, T3005 and T3011. Using the optimized method, 62 food samples of potato chips, snacks, biscuits, breakfast cereals and crisp bread sampled from Valencia, Spain, supermarkets were surveyed for acrylamide levels. The levels were similar to those reported in the European Union and USA.     

Keeping qualities of white pan bread upon storage: effect of selected enzymes on bread firmness and elasticity

 Several different types of enzymes and their blends were added to dough with the object of improving the shelf-life of white, lidded-pan bread during storage. Bread firmness and elasticity were determined at 24, 48 and 72 h to determine the influence of the enzymes. Addition of bacterial a-amylase, specially to blends of enzymes also containing lipase and pentosanase, improved white, lidded-pan bread quality by increasing elasticity and lowering firmness of crumb, and enhanced the keeping quality over time by providing a significant 2-day increase in the shelf life.     

Contents of polyamines in selected foods

Dietary polyamines, putrescine, spermidine and spermine, participate in many biochemical processes, mainly in cell proliferation and differentiation. Polyamines were determined as N-benzamides by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography in 153 samples of 21 foods, mostly culinary processed. Very low putrescine contents were observed in processed meats, pork liver and kidney, while the highest mean contents exceeded 55 mg kg⁻¹ in stewed green pea, grapefruit and fresh green pepper. Higher spermine than spermidine contents were typical for foods of animal origin, while the opposite was observed in plant products. Mean spermidine contents, exceeding 20 mg kg⁻¹, were found in dry soybean, stewed green pea, yellow pea puree and roasted chicken breast. Roasted chicken breast, stewed pork kidney, roasted pork liver and roasted pork neck had mean spermine contents above the same level. Polyamine content varies widely within individual food items, what makes application of the results by dietitians rather difficult.     

Determination of acrylamide levels in selected foods in Brazil.

Selected carbohydrate-rich foods available on the Brazilian market (111 samples representing 19 product categories) were analysed for acrylamide content using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. A limit of detection of 10 microg kg(-1), a limit of quantitation of 20 microg kg(-1) and mean recoveries ranging 100 to 115% were obtained during a laboratory validation procedure. The concentration of acrylamide in the samples ranged from <20 to 2528 microg kg(-1), with a considerable variation between individual foodstuffs within the same food product class. The highest levels were found in potato products processed at high temperature and in instant coffee, while the lowest concentrations were detected in cassava- and maize-based products, bread and beer. These results are comparable with those reported in other countries.     

A survey of the monosodium glutamate content of foods and an estimation of the dietary intake of monosodium glutamate.

The MSG contents of a wide range of manufactured foods (over 200 samples) were measured using the AOAC Procedure (ion-exchange chromatography followed by formol potentiometric titration). The results obtained were used, in conjunction with published data on UK food consumption, to calculate tentative estimates of the dietary intake of MSG for specific groups of the UK population.