Does home cooking have an effect on phthalate levels in food?

A

Evaluation of a commercially available microconcentric nebulizer for inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The performance of a commercially available microconcentric nebulizer (MCN-100, CETAC Technologies, USA) operated at flow rates ranging from less than or equal to 0.001 up to 0.65 ml min(-1) was evaluated using a Perkin-Elmer Sciex ELAN 5000 ICP-mass spectrometer, The observations made were compared with those for the standard GemTip cross-bow nebulizer, Registration of signal behaviour plots (signal intensity as a function of the nebulizer gas bow rate) at different rf powers and at different sample uptake rates allowed firstly, a systematic optimization of the operation parameters, and secondly, a comparison of the signal behaviour observed when using both types of nebulizer, The stability of the MCN-100 was evaluated at different sample uptake rates and the occurrence of memory effects was checked for a number of elements, Also, the level and the behaviour of oxide and doubly charged ions was studied, Furthermore, the susceptibility to matrix effects was investigated using synthetic matrices of different origin (acid, organic and high salt content) and it was demonstrated that, generally, matrix effects observed with both nebulizers are comparable and the MCN-100 can be used with NaCl concentrations up to 4 g l(-1) without capillary blocking, Finally, it is illustrated that the MCN-100 can be applied at sample flow rates of <5 mu l min(-1), as are encountered when coupling capillary zone electrophoresis to ICP-MS for elemental speciation studies

Survey of phthalate levels in food on the Belgian market and their possible contamination pathways

The main pathway for human exposure to phthalates is via dietary intake. The presence of phthalates in food is not only because of their movement up the food-chain, but also due to their migration from food packaging into food. In this study, the presence and concentration of phthalates levels in food products on the Belgian market were determined and the various contamination pathways were explored. For this purpose, a sampling campaign and analytical measurements in the laboratory were carried out. Four hundred representative samples of widely consumed foods were purchased in Belgian shops. Sample selection is based on 1) consumption data from the Belgian national food consumption survey and 2) the likelihood that foods contain phthalates. Brand name, packaging material and properties, fat content, date of production or shelf life, time and place of purchase, picture and product specific properties (e.g. pH, preserving agent) were stored in a database. This database was further used to explore the various contamination pathways by identifying relations between measured phthalate concentrations and sample properties. The measurement campaign involves 10 phthalate esters which are determined by GC-EI-MS. Blank concentrations were carefully controlled because phthalates are omnipresent in the laboratory. We developed suitable extraction techniques for the various food matrices. The analysis of food samples on the Belgian market shows a wide variety of phthalate concentrations. Possible contamination causing conditions are e.g. the pH and fat content of the food product and the composition and the properties of the packaging material. Acknowledgement – This study was funded by the Federal Public Service of Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment (contract RT/ 08/1 PHTAL

Phthalates in cow milk: possible contamination pathways at farm level

Phthalates are organic lipophilic compounds which are mainly used as plasticizer to increase the flexibility of plastic polymers. Human exposure occurs mainly via food ingestion and can cause a wide range of negative health effects (e.g. disruption of the endocrine system). Phthalates are not only present in food because of environmental contamination, but also as a result of migration from packaging and contact materials (e.g. conveyor belts). This study investigates the phthalate contamination in cow milk at farm level. The levels of eight phthalates (DMP, DEP, DiBP, DBP, BBP, DEHP, DCHP and DNOP) were determined in raw milk samples collected from five farms in an area around the city of Mol in ‘The Kempen’ in Flanders (Belgium). Both manually obtained milk samples as milk samples obtained by milking machines were collected. Analysis was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with electron impact ionisation. The phthalate concentrations in the raw milk samples were compared with each other in order to determine the contamination pathways for cow milk at farm level. The analysis of the milk samples milked by machine revealed a difference in total phthalate level between the different farms, ranging from 90.6 to 1065.1 µg/kg fat (results of the summer sampling period). While comparing milk samples from the same farm, lower total phthalate levels were found in the milk samples milked by hand than those by machine (e.g. 90.2 versus 174.4 µg/kg fat). DEHP which is the most commonly used plasticizer worldwide, was the most dominating phthalate in all the milk samples. This study seems to indicate that phthalate contamination in raw milk strongly depends on the type of milking equipment (e.g. the use of plastic milking tubes) the farms are using and to a smaller degree results from an environmental transfer

Phthalates in cow's milk: possible contamination pathways at farm level

Phthalates are organic lipophilic compounds which are mainly used as plasticiser. Human exposure occurs mainly via food intake and can cause negative health effects. Phthalates are not only present in food because of environmental contamination, but also as a result of migration from contact materials. This study investigates phthalates in cow’s milk in order to determine their contamination pathways at farm level. The levels of eight phthalates were determined in raw milk samples collected during summer and winter at five farms located in ‘The Kempen’ (Belgium). Both manually and mechanically obtained milk samples were collected. Analysis was performed by GC-MS. The analysis of the mechanically milked samples revealed a difference in average total phthalate level between summer and winter (572 versus 379 μg/kg fat). While total phthalate levels of the different farms during winter were nearly of similar magnitude (291-587 μg/kg fat), a wide range could be observed during summer (95-1550 μg/kg fat). Comparing milk samples within a farm, lower total phthalate levels were found in manually than in mechanically obtained milk (100 versus 179 μg/kg fat). Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, which is the most commonly used plasticiser worldwide, was the most dominating one (79 % of the total concentration in milk from the cooling tank). The results indicate that contamination pathways for phthalates in cow’s milk vary across seasons. An explanation therefore is that the feed composition is different during summer and winter. Comparing manually with mechanically obtained milk samples reveals that the milking equipment is another important contamination pathway

Phthalates in cow millk: possible contamination pathways at farm level

Phthalates are organic lipophilic compounds which are mainly used as plasticizer in plastic polymers. Human exposure occurs mainly via food intake and can cause a wide range of negative health effects. Phthalates are not only present in food because of environmental contamination, but also as a result of migration from contact materials. This study investigated phthalates in cow milk in order to determine the contamination pathways at farm level. The levels of eight phthalates were determined in raw milk samples collected during summer and winter at five farms located in ‘The Kempen’ (Belgium). Both manually obtained milk samples as milk samples milked by machine were collected. Analysis was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The analysis of the milk samples milked by machine revealed a difference in average total phthalate level between the summer and the winter sampling period (572 versus 379 μg/kg fat). While the total phthalate levels of the different farms during winter were nearly of similar magnitude (291-587 μg/kg fat), a wide range could be observed during summer (95-1550 μg/kg fat). Comparing milk samples within a farm, lower total phthalate levels were found in the milk samples milked by hand than those by machine (100 versus 179 μg/kg fat). Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate which is the most commonly used plasticizer worldwide, was the most dominating one (79 % of the total concentration in milk from the central collecting tank). The results indicate that the contamination pathways for phthalates in cow milk vary across seasons. An explanation therefore is that the feed composition is different during summer than during winter. In summer, cows are grazing in the fields where an extra phthalate contamination can occur via soil ingestion. Comparing the milk samples milked by hand with those by machine reveals that the milking equipment is another important contamination pathway

Effect of cooking on phthalate concentrations in food

Introduction: Phthalates are organic lipophilic compounds which are mainly used as plasticizer to increase the flexibility of plastic polymers. Another application is the use of phthalates in printing inks and adhesives. Human exposure occurs mainly via food intake and can cause a wide range of negative health effects (e.g. disruption of the endocrine system). In this study, the effect of cooking at home on phthalate concentrations in various foodstuffs was investigated. Methods and materials: Food products that are eaten regularly by the Belgian population – i.e. potato, rice, pasta, carrot, cauliflower, onion, paprika, minced meat, pork chop and salmon – were purchased from Belgian shops. In most cases, several cultivars, varieties and/or packaging types of a food product were bought. Food samples were boiled, steamed, fried, deep-fried and/or grilled in a way a normal Belgian household would do. Phthalate concentrations were determined in uncooked as well as in cooked food products via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Eight phthalates were taken into account: dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), benzylbutyl phthalate (BBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP). Results: DMP, DnBP, DCHP and DnOP were rarely present (less or equal than/to 50 % detectable) in the investigated food samples. On the other hand, DEP, DiBP, BBP and DEHP were regularly detected, but differences in detection frequencies were noticed between uncooked and cooked food samples. For example, DEHP was determined in all uncooked foods, but after cooking, this compound was detectable in only 65.4 % of the samples. Phthalate concentrations in food usually declined after cooking, which is demonstrated in Figure 1 for DiBP in pasta samples. Furthermore, differences in phthalate concentrations were observed between cultivars, varieties and/or packaging types of a certain food product (see also Figure 1). Conclusions: In general, cooking processes at home cause a decline in phthalate concentrations in food. Besides the effect of cooking, another variety, cultivar or packaging type of a foodstuff can result in different phthalate levels