Abstract
Photoinitiators used in ultraviolet-cured ink may migrate from food packaging materials into food products. Therefore, we conducted a dietary risk assessment of exposure to benzophenone (BP)-type photoinitiators by quantifying and reducing uncertainties associated with the risk characterization. A total of 362 food packaging samples including 180 cereals, 136 fruit and vegetable juices, and 46 milk samples were subjected to fast pesticides extraction to determine photoinitiator residues. The average daily dose (ADD) of BP was the highest in the age group of zero to three years, with a P97.5 ADD of 2.56 × 10−4 mg/kg bw/day. The ADD of 2-hydroxybenzophenone (2-OHBP) was the highest in the age group of three to six years, with a P97.5 UB ADD of 3.52 × 10−5 mg/kg bw/day. The estimated UB P97.5 ADD for each age group was below the toxicological concern threshold of 0.0015 mg/kg bw/day. The cumulative toxicity of all BPs, evaluated using the MOET value, was at an acceptable level. Although the MOET value of BPs was above the safety limit in the foodstuffs studied herein, this result may be different if Taiwan were to follow regulation guidelines for BP-type photoinitiators based on the specific migration limit for the unmeasured BP residues in other foodstuffs.
Highlights
Benzophenone (BP)-type ultraviolet (UV) filters are widely used in inks and in personal care products such as perfumes and soaps to reduce damage to the odors and color of the products from UV irradiation
The matrix effect (ME) met the criteria, with the exception of that for 2-OHBP in cereal I, and the ME for PBZ in cereal II did not fall within the range of 80–120%
According to the guidelines of the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration for the validation and verification of quantitative and qualitative testing methods, the method demonstrated high accuracy and precision, and the ME was 80%–120%; the ME was not significant. These results indicated that the method used in the study could be beneficial for assessing breakfast cereals, fruit and vegetable (F&V) juices, and milk
Summary
Benzophenone (BP)-type ultraviolet (UV) filters are widely used in inks and in personal care products such as perfumes and soaps to reduce damage to the odors and color of the products from UV irradiation. When the carton board that carries these packaged foodstuffs are pressed and crushed, BP may migrate into food from the packaging material, either in the form of a powder or in the gaseous phase, exposing the food products to BP [4,5]. The migration of such compounds to foods may endanger the health of consumers or cause unacceptable changes in the composition or organoleptic characteristics of food [6]
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