Dados do Trabalho

Título

RISK OF BABIES EXPOSURE TO PROCESSING CONTAMINANTS DURING FOOD INTRODUCTION THROUGH FRUIT PUREES CONSUMPTION

Introdução

Introducing food of babies from 6 months of age is important to ensure appropriate growth and neurodevelopment. However, the child population is more vulnerable to contaminants due to their lower body weight, which leads to a greater substance intake per kilogram of body weight. Due to their nutritional and energy supply, commercial fruit purees are one of the first foods that babies consume. However, the sugars and free amino acids contents can provide the processing contaminants formation during the heat treatment, such as acrylamide (AA), hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural (FF). These compounds can cause toxic effects that compromise the adequate neurodevelopment of children. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the AA, HMF and FF presence in fruit purees intended for babies to assess the risk of exposure to these contaminants.

Material e Métodos

For this, a previously validated method (solid-liquid extaction with determination by liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array detector), was used to evaluate the AA, HMF and FF presence in nine fruit purees collected in local markets in Rio Grande-RS, followed by the estimated daily intake (EDI) considering the daily amount consumption recommended on the label.

Resultados e Discussão

The results showed that 66.7% (0.0-851.4 µg/kg), 100% (92.8-7382.8 µg/kg) and 77.8% (0.0 283.7 µg/kg) of the samples presented AA, HMF and FF, respectively. The highest HMF levels were reported in the fruit purees that contained plum in their formulation. The fruit puree with quinoa had the highest AA concentration (851.4 µg/kg), possibly due to the high protein content of quinoa. FF showed the lowest levels (average 87.9 µg/kg). Regarding EDI, it was estimated that babies ingest daily on average 2.08, 15.04 and 1.05 µg/kg per body weight of AA, HMF and FF, respectively.

Conclusão

Therefore, the results demonstrate that babies that frequently consume commercial fruit purees are exposed to more than one contaminant, a worrying fact for their neurodevelopment, especially when there is the AA presence, a neurotoxin, or HMF, a precursor of AA formation in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, it is extremely important to monitor and regulate the maximum limits of these substances in Brazil to provide greater infant food safety.