Processed induced Food Contaminants: progress in mitigation and challenges ahead
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Richard H. STADLER Orbe, Switzerland |
Biography
Richard Stadler is head of the Quality Management Department at the Nestlé Product Technology Centre (PTC) in Orbe, Switzerland. His main tasks are to ensure that Food Safety & Quality are adequately addressed in all new product developments, as well as to support markets and operating companies in all Food Safety & Quality aspects for the pertinent products within the PTC’s portfolio (coffee, coffee mixes, cocoa-malt beverages, cereal products, performance nutrition, foodservices). Within the frame of his current position, he also manages corporate R&D projects related to process contaminants. Dr. Stadler completed his PhD in 1989 at University of Munich in Germany, and after a 2-year post-doc at the same University, he joined the Nestlé Research Center in Lausanne Switzerland, where he started as a Research Scientist in the Chemical Toxicology group investigating the chemistry and bioactivity of foods and food constituents, in particular novel chemicals isolated from coffee and tea. In 1995 he was transferred to Nestlé R&D Singapore as Senior QA Technologist, and from 1998-2003 he headed the Contaminants and Biomarkers Group at the Nestlé Research Center in Lausanne.
Abstract
Cooking practices may lead to the formation of low amounts of compounds that have adverse physiological effects or potential health risks. Such chemicals are part of our daily diet but considered as ‘‘undesired’’ in foods. The very low detection limits of today’s state-of-the-art analytical methods enable their quantification in many different foods at the low part-per-billion (ppb) level. Research in relation to this group of substances has in the past years particularly focused on acrylamide, furan, and more recently 3-MCPD esters and related compounds.
In the case of acrylamide, the international research community and food industry have explored numerous strategies for reducing acrylamide levels in food products. Key aspects of this work are summarized in guidance material prepared by the Confederation of Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA), namely the Arylamide `Toolbox'', that is updated on a regular basis to reflect progress in mitigation. Moreover, to support the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), specific pamphlets have been prepared together with the European Commission that summarise the key mitigation options for the sectors and that are updated to reflect the salient changes in the Toolbox parameters. The Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) has also prepared a Code of Practice for the Reduction of Acrylamide.
Recently, the issue of MCPD esters in refined and deodorised vegetable oils has raised concern. To date, there are only a few methods reported for the analysis of MCPD esters and the isolation and measurement of all chloroesters is a lengthy process due to the many species arising from the different fatty acid combinations associated with each chloropropanol moiety. The quantification and ratio of 3-MCPD mono to -diesters are important to assess the contribution of foods to the bioavailability of 3-MCPD. Further challenges are the quantification of glycidol esters that may also be formed during the analytical work-up when using certain methods.
However, the rapid pace of research in this field will continue, and more compounds with potential health concerns in foods will be discovered albeit at very low amounts. Consequently, there is an urgent need of reliable mechanisms whereby the compounds can be prioritized based upon the margin of safety (effect/exposure relationship), as well as future guidance toward the toxicological evaluation of food within a holistic frame, i.e., avoid testing individual compounds but rather the complete foods.