Quantitation of tr-cinnamaldehyde, safrole and myristicin in cola-flavoured soft drinks to improve the assessment of their dietary exposure

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology Vol. 59; pp. 626 - 635
• Main Authors: Raffo, Antonio, D’Aloise, Antonio, Magrì, Antonio L., Leclercq, Catherine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-09-2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acrolein - administration & dosage; Acrolein - adverse effects; Acrolein - analogs & derivatives; Acrolein - analysis; Adolescent; adolescents; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Benzyl Compounds - administration & dosage; Benzyl Compounds - adverse effects; Benzyl Compounds - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Carbonated Beverages - adverse effects; Carbonated Beverages - analysis; Child; children; Cinnamomum aromaticum - chemistry; Cola; Diet - adverse effects; Diet Surveys; dietary exposure; Dioxolanes - administration & dosage; Dioxolanes - adverse effects; Dioxolanes - analysis; Europe; Flavoring Agents - administration & dosage; Flavoring Agents - adverse effects; Flavoring Agents - analysis; food consumption; Humans; Limit of Detection; Margin of Exposure; Medical sciences; Myristica fragrans - chemistry; Myristicin; nutrition assessment; Oils, Volatile - chemistry; public health; Pyrogallol - administration & dosage; Pyrogallol - adverse effects; Pyrogallol - analogs & derivatives; Pyrogallol - analysis; Reproducibility of Results; Risk Assessment; risk management; Safrole; Safrole - administration & dosage; Safrole - adverse effects; Safrole - analysis; SBSE; Soft drink; soft drinks; Toxicology; uncertainty; United Kingdom; Ireland; Europe; Safrole; Cola; Margin of Exposure; Soft drink; Myristicin; SBSE; Exposure; Flavor; Dicotyledones; Sterculiaceae; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Quantitative analysis
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2013.06.058

•A limited variability in the content of tr-cinnamaldehyde, safrole and myristicin was found in cola-flavoured soft drinks.•The uncertainty in the assessment of their dietary exposure due to this variability was low.•For high consumers of cola-flavoured soft drinks in certain age groups, MOE values for safrole were lower than 10,000.•The lowest MOE values, from 1900 to 3000, were observed for children and teen agers in the United Kingdom and Ireland.•According to the EFSA, MOE values of 10,000 or higher identify low concern from a public health point of view.
Quantitation of tr-cinnamaldehyde, safrole and myristicin was carried out in 70 samples of cola-flavoured soft drinks purchased in eight European countries with the purpose of assessing the variability in the levels of these substances. Results indicated a limited variability in the content of the three substances: the ratio between the 90th and the 10th percentile concentration amounted to 21, 6 and 13 for tr-cinnamaldehyde, safrole and myristicin, respectively. The uncertainty in the assessment of dietary exposure to these substances due to the variability of their level in cola-flavoured drinks was low.
Based on these analytical data and on refined food consumption data, estimates of exposure to safrole associated to cola drink consumption, along with Margin of Exposure (MOE) values, were obtained. For high consumers of cola-flavoured soft drinks in certain age groups, within some European countries, MOE values lower than 10,000 resulted, MOE values of 10,000 or higher having been stated by the EFSA as a quantitative criterion to identify low concern from a public health point of view and low priority for risk management actions. The lowest MOE values, from 1900 to 3000, were observed for children and teen agers in the United Kingdom and Ireland.