Study of furanic compound content in common Spanish culinary preparations. Influence of the food preparation setting

Abstract

Common Spanish culinary preparations were analyzed for the content of two furanic compounds, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural, chemicals used as thermal damage indicators in the industrial processing of foods. Eleven foods commonly consumed in the Spanish diet were selected, collected from different settings (household, industrial and collective catering services), and classified according to their food matrix into three groups (potato-based, cereal-based and cereal mixed with meat, fish or vegetables). The highest mean levels were found in torrijas (20.12 mg/kg) and sponge cake (12.11 mg/kg) for HMF content, and in sponge cake (0.56 mg/kg), patties (0.54 mg/kg) and puff pastry pies (0.42 mg/kg) for furfural content, with these foods also exhibiting the greatest exposure levels. Results corroborate that cereal-based foods are the main contributors to the furanic compounds in the diet. Most of the food groups analyzed showed the maximum levels in the collective catering services, compared with the industrial setting, which could suggest that the mitigation strategies applied for other contaminants (e.g. acrylamide) in the industrial sector are also controlling the formation of these compounds. The need for appropriate mitigation measures suitable in household and collective catering settings is proposed.