Detection of Furan and five Alkylfurans, including 2-Pentylfuran, in various Food Matrices

Relationship between phospholipid molecules species and volatile compounds in grilled lambs during the heating process

The present study used a comprehensive analysis combining headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) to investigate changes in volatile compounds and phospholipid molecules in grilled lambs. The results revealed 19 key volatile compounds (OAV > 1) involved in the grilling process of lambs. Additionally, UPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis detected 142 phospholipid molecules in grilled lamb, with phosphatidylcholine exhibiting the highest content (36.62 %), followed by phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidyl glycerol, and phosphatidic acid. Through partial least squares analysis, 63 key differential phospholipids were identified. Principal component analysis of the key differential phospholipids and volatile compounds indicated that phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidyl ethanolamine phospholipids are the key substrates in forming volatile compounds in grilled lambs. This information is essential for precisely regulating the flavor profile, enhancing the grilling process, and minimizing the production of harmful compounds in grilled meat products.

Genotoxic mode of action and threshold exploration of 2-methyl furan under 120-day sub-chronic exposure in male Sprague-Dawley rats

2-Methylfuran (2-MF) is an important member of the furan family generated during food thermal processing. An in-vivo multiple endpoint genotoxicity assessment system was applied to explore the genotoxic mode of action and threshold of 2-MF. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received 2-MF by oral gavage at doses of 0.16, 0.625, 2.5, and 10 mg/kg.bw/day for 120 days. An additional 15 days were granted for recovery. The Pig-a gene mutation frequency of RET and RBC showed significant increases among the 2-MF groups on day 120. After a 15-day recovery period, the Pig-a gene mutation frequency returned to levels similar to those in the vehicle control. The tail intensity (TI) values of peripheral blood cells at a dose of 10 mg/kg.bw/day significantly increased from day 4 and remained at a high level after the recovery period. No statistical difference was found in the micronucleus frequency of peripheral blood between any 2-MF dose group and the corn oil group at any timepoint. 2-MF may not induce the production of micronuclei, but it could cause DNA breakage. It could not be ruled out that 2-MF may accumulate in vivo and cause gene mutations. Hence, DNA, other than the spindle, may be directly targeted. The mode of action of 2-MF may be that it was metabolized by EPHX1 to more DNA-active metabolites, thus leading to oxidative and direct DNA damage. The point of departure (PoD) of 2-MF-induced genotoxicity was derived as 0.506 mg/kg bw/day.

Do GC/MS methods available for furan and alkylfurans in food provide comparable results? - An interlaboratory study and safety assessment of 2-pentylfuran in food

A call for data on the occurrence of alkylfurans in food and feed from EFSA triggered the development of new methods to cover next to furan also 2- and 3-methylfuran, 2,5-dimethyl- and 2-ethylfuran as well as 2-pentylfuran. A significant variability was noticed when comparing analysis of 2-pentylfuran and furans in the same matrix performed by different laboratories. To assess the variability an interlaboratory study including eight laboratories was organised. The highest variabilities were observed when analysing cereals, with measurements of 2-pentylfuran indicating concentrations from 8 mg/kg up to more than 1000 mg/kg in the same sample. This study illustrates that the analysis of 2-pentylfuran requires special attention, and that additional method development would be necessary to ensure reliable and reproducible determination of 2-pentylfuran at contamination level. Moreover, a recent evaluation of the EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings indicates that concerns for genotoxicity, reason why it was grouped with the shorter alkylfurans, are now ruled out. We question the need and justification to include 2-pentylfuran in the analytical method as requested by EFSA, from both the analytical and the safety perspective.

Review on Furan as a Food Processing Contaminant: Identifying Research Progress and Technical Challenges for Future Research

A wide range of food processing contaminants (FPCs) are usually formed while thermal processing of food products. Furan is a highly volatile compound among FPCs and could be formed in a variety of thermally processed foods. Therefore, identification of possible reasons of furan occurrence in different thermally processed foods, identification of the most consequential sources of furan exposure, factors impacting its formation, and its detection by specific analytical approaches are necessary to indicate gaps and challenges for future research findings. Furthermore, controlling furan formation in processed foods on a factory scale is also challenging, and research advancements are still ongoing in this context. Meanwhile, understanding adverse effects of furan on human health on a molecular level is necessary to gain insights into human risk assessment.

A comprehensive review of furan in foods: From dietary exposures and in vivo metabolism to mitigation measures

Furan is a thermal food processing contaminant that is ubiquitous in various food products such as coffee, canned and jarred foods, and cereals. A comprehensive summary of research progress on furan is presented in this review, including discussion of (i) formation pathways, (ii) occurrence and dietary exposures, (iii) analytical techniques, (iv) toxicities, (v) metabolism and metabolites, (vi) risk assessment, (vii) potential biomarkers, and (viii) mitigation measures. Dietary exposure to furan varies among different countries and age groups. Furan acts through various toxicological pathways mediated by its primary metabolite, cis-2-butene-1,4-dial (BDA). BDA can readily react with glutathione, amino acids, biogenic amines, or nucleotides to form corresponding metabolites, some of which have been proposed as potential biomarkers of exposure to furan. Present risk assessment of furan mainly employed the margin of exposure approach. Given the widespread occurrence of furan in foods and its harmful health effects, mitigating furan levels in foods or exploring potential dietary supplements to protect against furan toxicity is necessary for the benefit of food safety and public health.

Analysis of Furan and Its Derivatives in Food Matrices Using Solid Phase Extraction Coupled with Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

The objective of this study was to develop a simultaneous analysis method of furan and its 10 derivatives in different food commodities. The results indicated that furan and its 10 derivatives could be separated within 9.5 min by using a HP-5MS column and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) with multiple reaction monitoring mode for detection. Furthermore, this method could resolve several furan isomers, such as 2-methyl furan and 3-methyl furan, as well as 2,3-dimethyl furan and 2,5-dimethyl furan. The most optimal extraction conditions were: 5 g of the fruit or juice sample mixed with 5 mL of the saturated NaCl solution, separately, or 1 g of the canned oily fish sample mixed with 9 mL of the saturated NaCl solution, followed by the equilibration of each sample at 35 °C for 15 min, using a carboxen-polydimethylsiloxane SPME arrow to adsorb the analytes for 15 min at 35 °C for subsequent analysis by GC-MS/MS. For method validation of all the analytes in the different food matrices, the recovery was 76-117% and the limit of the quantitation was 0.003-0.675 ng/g, while the relative standard deviation (RSD%) of the intra-day variability range from 1-16%, and that of the inter-day variability was from 4-20%. The method validation data further demonstrated that a reliable method was established for the analysis of furan and its 10 derivatives in commercial foods.

Serum and Urine Metabolites in Healthy Men after Consumption of Acidified Milk and Yogurt

The identification of molecular biomarkers that can be used to quantitatively link dietary intake to phenotypic traits in humans is a key theme in modern nutritional research. Although dairy products (with and without fermentation) represent a major food group, the identification of markers of their intake lags behind that of other food groups. Here, we report the results from an analysis of the metabolites in postprandial serum and urine samples from a randomized crossover study with 14 healthy men who ingested acidified milk, yogurt, and a non-dairy meal. Our study confirms the potential of lactose and its metabolites as markers of lactose-containing dairy foods and the dependence of their combined profiles on the fermentation status of the consumed products. Furthermore, indole-3-lactic acid and 3-phenyllactic acid are two products of fermentation whose postprandial behaviour strongly discriminates yogurt from milk intake. Our study also provides evidence of the ability of milk fermentation to increase the acute delivery of free amino acids to humans. Notably, 3,5-dimethyloctan-2-one also proves to be a specific marker for milk and yogurt consumption, as well as for cheese consumption (previously published data). These molecules deserve future characterisation in human interventional and observational studies.

Volatile Organic Compounds, Evaluation Methods and Processing Properties for Cooked Rice Flavor

Rice (Oryza sativa L.), as the main refined grain in China, has attracted much attention in terms of quality. Rice is usually consumed after cooking, and it is a commonly staple food. Nowdays, people's requirements for cooked rice focus more on the taste characteristics and quality. Furthermore, aroma is one of the primary sensory reference points, which is the most intuitive way for people to judge cooked rice. By integrating and analyzing the researches of cooked rice aroma identification in recent five years, this paper expounds the extraction and identification methods (sensory evaluation method, GC-MS, SPME, MOS sensors, electronic nose, etc.) of the flavor substances in cooked rice, as the processing methods and properties of cooked rice, and the volatile organic compounds of cooked rice under different conditions are summarized as well.

Improved Analytical Method for Determination of Furan and Its Derivatives in Commercial Foods by HS-SPME Arrow Combined with Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Owing to the presence of significant levels of toxic furan compounds reported globally in commercial foods by various food authorities, the objectives of this study were to develop an analytical method for determination of furan and its 10 derivatives in commercial foods using headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME)-Arrow coupled with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Furan and its 10 derivatives were separated within 10 min by employing an HP-5MS capillary column with d₄-furan as the internal standard for quantitation. The most optimal sample weight and extraction time for various commercial food samples, respectively, ranged from 1 to 5 g and 10-15 min depending on the sample variety. For extraction, carboxen/poly(dimethylsiloxane) (CAR/PDMS) cellulose was used with the temperature at 30 °C, equilibration time of 15 min, and desorption time of 3 min. The limit of detection ranged from 0.001 to 1.071 ng/g, while the limit of quantitation ranged from 0.003 to 3.571 ng/g. A high precision and accuracy were obtained for this method. The total furan content in commercial foods ranged from nd to 40 725.85 ng/g, in which the mean contents were the highest for brewed coffee (35 082.26 ng/g) and canned coffee (25 152.22 ng/g), while the lowest were for potato chip and cookies (0.57-1.48 ng/g), donut (1.50 ng/g), milk (0.34-30.38 ng/g), and oat (6.56 ng/g).

The Use of SPME-GC-MS IR and Raman Techniques for Botanical and Geographical Authentication and Detection of Adulteration of Honey

The aim of this review is to describe the chromatographic, spectrometric, and spectroscopic techniques applied to honey for the determination of botanical and geographical origin and detection of adulteration. Based on the volatile profile of honey and using Solid Phase microextraction-Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) analytical technique, botanical and geographical characterization of honey can be successfully determined. In addition, the use of vibrational spectroscopic techniques, in particular, infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy, are discussed as a tool for the detection of honey adulteration and verification of its botanical and geographical origin. Manipulation of the obtained data regarding all the above-mentioned techniques was performed using chemometric analysis. This article reviews the literature between 2007 and 2020.

Formation of furan in baby food products: Identification and technical challenges

Furan is generally produced during thermal processing of various foods including baked, fried, and roasted food items such as cereal products, coffee, canned, and jarred prepared foods as well as in baby foods. Furan is a toxic and carcinogenic compound to humans and may be a vital hazard to infants and babies. Furan could be formed in foods through thermal degradation of carbohydrates, dissociation of amino acids, and oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The detection of furan in food products is difficult due to its high volatility and low molecular weight. Headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) is generally used for analysis of furan in food samples. The risk assessment of furan can be characterized using margin of exposure approach (MOE). Conventional strategies including cooking in open vessels, reheating of commercially processed foods with stirring, and physical removal using vacuum treatment have remained unsuccessful for the removal of furan due to the complex production mechanisms and possible precursors of furan. The innovative food-processing technologies such as high-pressure processing (HPP), high-pressure thermal sterilization (HPTS), and Ohmic heating have been adapted for the reduction of furan levels in baby foods. But in recent years, only HPP has gained interest due to successful reduction of furan because of its nonthermal mechanism. HPP-treated baby food products are commercially available from different food companies. This review summarizes the mechanism involved in the formation of furan in foods, its toxicity, and identification in infant foods and presents a solution for limiting its formation, occurrence, and retention using novel strategies.