Occurrence and infant exposure assessment of nitrates in baby foods marketed in the region of Lisbon,Portugal |
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Abstract: | Commercial baby food labelled as from organic or conventional origin, including vegetable-based baby foods, fruit purees and fruit juices (n?=?80), were analysed for nitrate content by an in-house validated HPLC method. Nitrate contents ranged from 5 to 230?mg?kg?1 with a mean concentration of 102?mg?kg?1 for vegetable-based baby foods, and a median of 5?mg?kg?1 for both fruit purees and juices. One sample of vegetable-based baby food was higher than the legislated value (200?mg?kg?1). There were no significant differences between average nitrate levels in analysed samples regarding both farming systems. The estimated nitrate intake through baby foods for a mean nitrate concentration of 47?mg?kg?1 ranged between 0.5 (15% of ADI) and 1.3?mg?kg?1?bw?day?1 (35% of ADI). The ADI level was exceeded (107–146% of ADI) only for the 95th and 99th percentiles of nitrate concentration. |
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Keywords: | nitrate baby food organic foods |
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