Irish National Food Ingredient Database: application for assessing patterns of additive usage in foods

Nutrition research challenges for processed food and health

Existing highly processed food (HPF) classification systems show large differences in the impact of these foods on biochemical risk factors for disease. If public health nutrition is to consider the degree of food processing as an important element of the link between food and health, certain gaps in research must be acknowledged. Quantifying the food additive exposure derived from HPFs is a task made challenging by the lack of data available on the occurrence and concentration of additives in food and the degree to which the natural occurrence of additives in unprocessed foods confounds exposure estimates. The proposed role of HPFs in health outcomes could also be associated with altered nutrient profiles. Differences exist within and between HPF classification systems in this regard and there are conflicting data on the impact of controlling for nutrient intake. Furthermore, research is needed on how the sensory aspects of HPFs contribute to energy intake. Current data suggest that high energy intake rate may be the mechanism linking HPFs and increased energy intake. A high priority now is to clarify the basis of definitions used to categorize foods as highly processed and, in a constructive sense, to distinguish between the contributions of nutrients, additives and sensory properties to health.

European Food Safety Authority open access tools to estimate dietary exposure to food chemicals

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has developed a suite of open access tools to estimate dietary exposure to food-borne chemical hazards. The tools are tailored to several regulatory domains within EFSA's remit (e.g. food and feed additives, pesticide residues, contaminants and food enzymes) and are intended for use by EFSA experts, industry applicants of regulatory product dossiers, researchers or any stakeholder with an interest in estimating dietary exposure using European food consumption data. The majority of the tools are based on FoodEx2, EFSA's food classification and description system as well as the EFSA Comprehensive European food consumption database. This paper provides an overview of these open access tools, the regulatory framework in which they were developed as well as data sources used.

Food additive emulsifiers: a review of their role in foods, legislation and classifications, presence in food supply, dietary exposure, and safety assessment

Food additive intakes have increased with the increase in "ultra-processed" food consumption. Food additive emulsifiers have received particular research attention in recent years due to preliminary evidence of adverse gastrointestinal and metabolic health effects. In this review, the use of emulsifiers as food additives is discussed, and the current estimations of exposure to, and safety of, emulsifiers are critically assessed. Food additive emulsifier research is complicated by heterogeneity in additives considered to be emulsifiers and labelling of them on foods globally. Major limitations exist in estimating food additive emulsifier exposure, relating predominantly to a lack of available food occurrence and concentration data. Development of brand-specific food additive emulsifier databases are crucial to accurately estimating emulsifier exposure. Current research on the health effects of food additive emulsifiers are limited to in vitro and murine studies and small, acute studies in humans, and future research should focus on controlled human trials of longer duration.

Development of a new fluorescent probe for cysteine detection in processed food samples

Cysteine is a crucial amino acid, found in a huge amount in protein-rich foods. We focused our research to determine the amount of free cysteine consumed highly in foods such as pork, beef, poultry, eggs, dairy, red peppers, soybeans, broccoli, brussels sprouts, oats, and wheat germs. A newly designed carbazole-pyridine-based fluorescent probe (CPI) has been introduced for quantitative estimation of cysteine (Cys) with a "turn on" fluorescence in some popular processed food samples chosen from our daily diet. CPI shows both naked eye and UV-visible color changes upon interaction with cysteine. The binding approach between CPI and Cys at biological pH has been thoroughly explored by UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy. From Job's plot analysis, 1:1 stoichiometric reaction between CPI and Cys is observed with a detection limit of 3.8 μM. NMR, ESI mass spectrometry, and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) study enlightens the formation of more stable product CPI-Cys. The "turn on" response of the probe CPI occurs due to the interruption of intra-molecular charge transfer (ICT) process upon reacting with cysteine. Moreover, CPI is a very stable, cost-effective compound and exhibits excellent real-time selectivity towards Cys over all other comparative biorelevant analytes. Interestingly, our proposed method is much advantageous as it is able to estimate cysteine predominantly by screening out other comparative biocomponents found in different protein-rich foods.

The potential application of European market research data in dietary exposure modelling of food additives

Consumer exposure assessments for food additives are incomplete without information about the proportions of foods in each authorised category that contain the additive. Such information has been difficult to obtain but the Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD) provides information about product launches across Europe over the past 20 years. These data can be searched to identify products with specific additives listed on product labels and the numbers compared with total product launches for food and drink categories in the same database to determine the frequency of occurrence. There are uncertainties associated with the data but these can be managed by adopting a cautious and conservative approach. GNPD data can be mapped with authorised food categories and with food descriptions used in the EFSA Comprehensive European Food Consumption Surveys Database for exposure modelling. The data, when presented as percent occurrence, could be incorporated into the EFSA ANS Panel's 'brand-loyal/non-brand loyal exposure model in a quantitative way. Case studies of preservative, antioxidant, colour and sweetener additives showed that the impact of including occurrence data is greatest in the non-brand loyal scenario. Recommendations for future research include identifying occurrence data for alcoholic beverages, linking regulatory food codes, FoodEx and GNPD product descriptions, developing the use of occurrence data for carry-over foods and improving understanding of brand loyalty in consumer exposure models.

Comprehensive European dietary exposure model (CEDEM) for food additives

European methods for assessing dietary exposures to nutrients, additives and other substances in food are limited by the availability of detailed food consumption data for all member states. A proposed comprehensive European dietary exposure model (CEDEM) applies summary data published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in a deterministic model based on an algorithm from the EFSA intake method for food additives. The proposed approach can predict estimates of food additive exposure provided in previous EFSA scientific opinions that were based on the full European food consumption database.

Dietary intake of four artificial sweeteners by Irish pre-school children

In spite of rigorous pre- and post-market reviews of safety, there remains a high level of debate regarding the use of artificial sweeteners in foods. Young children are of particular interest when assessing food chemical exposure as a result of their unique food consumption patterns and comparatively higher exposure to food chemicals on a body weight basis when compared with the general population. The present study examined the intakes of four intense sweeteners (acesulfame K, aspartame, saccharin, sucralose) in the diets of children aged 1-4 years using food consumption and sweetener presence data from the Irish National Pre-school Nutrition Survey (2010-11) and analytical data for sweetener concentration in foods obtained from a national testing programme. Four exposure assessment scenarios were conducted using the available data on sweetener occurrence and concentration. The results demonstrated that the mean daily intakes for all four sweeteners were below the acceptable daily intake (ADI) (17-31%), even considering the most conservative assumptions regarding sweetener presence and concentration. High consumer intakes (P95) were also below the ADI for the four sweeteners when more realistic estimates of exposure were considered. Both sweetener occurrence and concentration data had a considerable effect on reducing the estimated intake values, with a combined reduction in intakes of 95% when expressed as a proportion of the ADI. Flavoured drinks were deemed to be a key contributor to artificial sweetener intakes in this population cohort. It was concluded that there is no health risk to Irish pre-school children at current dietary intake levels of the sweeteners studied.

The presence of carbon nanostructures in bakery products induces metabolic stress in human mesenchymal stem cells through CYP1A and p53 gene expression

Ingredients commonly present in processed foods are excellent substrates for chemical reactions during modern thermal cooking or processing, which could possibly result in deteriorative carbonization changes mediated by a variety of thermal reactions. Spontaneous self-assembling complexation or polymerization of partially combusted lipids, proteins, and other food macromolecules with synthetic food additives during high temperature food processing or baking (200-250 °C) would result in the formation of carbon nanostructures (CNs). These unknown nanostructures may produce adverse physiological effects or potential health risks. The present work aimed to identify and characterize the nanostructures from the crusts of bread. Furthermore, a toxicological risk assessment of these nanostructures was conducted using human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) as a model for cellular uptake and metabolic oxidative stress, with special reference to induced adipogenesis. CNs isolated from bread crusts were characterized using transmission electron microscopy. The in vitro risk assessment of the CNs was carried out in hMSCs using an MTT assay, cell morphological assessment, a reactive oxygen species assay, a mitochondrial trans-membrane potential assay, cell cycle progression assessment and gene expression analysis. Our results revealed that bread crusts contain CNs, which may form during the bread-making process. The in vitro results indicate that carbon nanostructures have moderately toxic effects in the hMSCs at a high dose (400 μg/mL). The mitochondrial trans-membrane potentials and intracellular ROS levels of the hMSCs were altered at this dose. The levels of the mRNA transcripts of metabolic stress-responsive genes such as CAT, GSR, GSTA4, CYP1A and p53 were significantly altered in response to CNs.

α-Tocopherol Stereoisomers in Human Plasma Are Affected by the Level and Form of the Vitamin E Supplement Used

BACKGROUND

Studies examining vitamin E intake and the percentage of the population meeting dietary guidelines do not distinguish between natural (RRR-α-tocopherol) and synthetic (all-rac-α-tocopherol) intake, even though these different isomeric forms differ in bioactivity.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the effect of RRR-α-tocopherol vs. all-rac-α-tocopherol intake on the percentage of the population meeting the vitamin E recommendation and on plasma α-tocopherol stereoisomer distribution.

METHODS

With the use of data from the Irish National Adult Nutrition Survey (NANS), this study examined the percentage of the Irish population meeting the European Union (EU) RDA for vitamin E of 12 mg/d, correcting for a bioactivity difference in all-rac- vs. RRR-α-tocopherol, where 1 mg of all-rac-α-tocopherol is considered to be equivalent to 1:1.36 (0.74) mg in the EU RDA. In a subcohort of supplement users and nonusers, plasma α- and γ-tocopherol concentrations and α-tocopherol stereoisomer distribution were measured. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted to determine ability to discriminate supplement user types.

RESULTS

Analysis of the NANS showed that 100% of participants still met the recommended intake of 12 mg/d, after all-rac-α-tocopherol intake was corrected for α-tocopherol equivalent bioactivity. In the subcohort analysis, the percentage of plasma RRR-α-tocopherol was significantly lower in high all-rac-α-tocopherol supplement (>11 mg/d) users (82%) compared with nonusers and with high RRR-α-tocopherol supplement (>35 mg/d) users (91% and 93% respectively, P < 0.01). High RRR-α-tocopherol supplement users had a significantly higher plasma α-tocopherol than low all-rac-α-tocopherol supplement (<2.5 mg/d) users (34 vs. 25 μmol/L, P = 0.01). ROC analysis demonstrated an ability to distinguish between RRR- and all-rac-α-tocopherol consumers, which may be useful in investigating the potential effect of RRR- and all-rac-α-tocopherol intake on health.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that the percentage of the population meeting the vitamin E recommendation was unaffected when all-rac-α-tocopherol intake was corrected for α-tocopherol equivalent bioactivity. all-rac-α-Tocopherol intake led to a decrease in the percentage of plasma RRR-α-tocopherol relative to RRR-α-tocopherol intake.

Impact of voluntary fortification and supplement use on dietary intakes and biomarker status of folate and vitamin B-12 in Irish adults

BACKGROUND

Ireland has traditionally operated a liberal policy of voluntary fortification, but little is known about how this practice, along with supplement use, affects population intakes and status of folate and vitamin B-12.

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to examine the relative impact of voluntary fortification and supplement use on dietary intakes and biomarker status of folate and vitamin B-12 in Irish adults.

DESIGN

Folic acid and vitamin B-12 from fortified foods and supplements were estimated by using brand information for participants from the cross-sectional National Adult Nutrition Survey 2008-2010. Dietary and biomarker values were compared between 6 mutually exclusive consumption groups formed on the basis of folic acid intake.

RESULTS

The consumption of folic acid through fortified foods at low, medium, and high levels of exposure [median (IQR) intakes of 22 (13, 32), 69 (56, 84), and 180 (137, 248) μg/d, respectively]; from supplements [203 (150, 400) μg/d]; or from both sources [287 (220, 438) μg/d] was associated with significantly higher folate intakes and status compared with nonconsumption of folic acid (18% of the population). Median (IQR) red blood cell (RBC) folate increased significantly from 699 (538, 934) nmol/L in nonconsumers to 1040 (83, 1390) nmol/L in consumers with a high intake of fortified foods (P < 0.001), with further nonsignificant increases in supplement users. Supplement use but not fortification was associated with significantly higher serum vitamin B-12 concentrations relative to nonconsumers (P < 0.001). Two-thirds of young women had suboptimal RBC folate for protection against neural tube defects (NTDs); among nonconsumers of folic acid, only 16% attained optimal RBC folate.

CONCLUSIONS

The consumption of voluntarily fortified foods and/or supplement use was associated with significantly higher dietary intakes and biomarker status of folate in Irish adults. Of concern, the majority of young women remain suboptimally protected against NTDs.

Effect of vitamin E intake from food and supplement sources on plasma α- and γ-tocopherol concentrations in a healthy Irish adult population

Vitamin E is believed to play a preventive role in diseases associated with oxidative stress. The aims of the present study were to quantify vitamin E intake levels and plasma concentrations and to assess dietary vitamin E adequacy in Irish adults. Intake data from the National Adult Nutrition Survey were used; plasma samples were obtained from a representative cohort of survey participants. Plasma α- and γ-tocopherol concentrations were measured by HPLC. The main sources of vitamin E in the diet were ‘butter, spreadable fats and oils’ and ‘vegetables and vegetable dishes’. When vitamin E intake from supplements was taken into account, supplements were found to be the main contributor, making a contribution of 29·2 % to vitamin E intake in the total population. Supplement consumers had significantly higher plasma α-tocopherol concentrations and lower plasma γ-tocopherol concentrations when compared with non-consumers. Consumers of ‘vitamin E’ supplements had significantly higher vitamin E intake levels and plasma α-tocopherol concentrations compared with consumers of other types of supplements, such as multivitamin and fish oil. Comparison with the Institute of Medicine Estimated Average Requirement of 12 mg/d indicated that when vitamin E intake from food and supplement sources was taken into account, 100 % of the study participants achieved the recommended intake levels. When vitamin E intake from food sources was taken into account, only 68·4 % of the females were found to achieve the recommended intake levels compared with 99·2 % of the males. The results of the present study show that dietary vitamin E intake has a significant effect on plasma α- and γ-tocopherol concentrations. Furthermore, they show that the consumption of supplements is a major contributor to overall intake and has a significant effect on plasma vitamin E concentrations in the Irish population.

German database on the occurrence of food additives: application for intake estimation of five food colours for toddlers and children

To get a more realistic estimation of food additive intake for toddlers and children, a German database on the occurrence of food additives was created. It uses consumption data of two recent national nutrition surveys for toddlers and children in combination with qualitative information of food additive occurrence in the consumed food. The information on food additive occurrence is based on food labelling. A categorisation system was developed according to regulations to classify the foods consumed and to identify possible food additive use in the food groups. Two natural (E120, E160b) and three artificial food colours (E110, E124, E129) were chosen for an assessment of food additive intake. The percentage of food items containing one of the chosen food colours was calculated for every food group and the food groups with most items containing the additive were identified. Intake estimations were performed based on maximum permitted-use levels (MPLs). Firstly, additive use was assumed in all foods consumed (tier 2); and secondly, food additive use was assumed only for those items where labelling confirmed the use and for all foods with no labelling available (tier 2b). Intake estimations were then compared with the ADI. Most food items with at least one of the food colours were found in the food groups confectionary, desserts, fermented milk products, flavoured drinks and breakfast cereals. The tier 2b approach provided more realistic estimations, which were always below those of the tier 2 approach and below the ADI for mean exposure. Exposure for high-level consumers exceeded the ADI for two of the food additives in tier 2b. Keeping in mind that the database is only mirroring the current situation, it provides a good possibility to refine the estimation of food additive intake for toddlers and children in Germany.

Whole grain intakes in the diets of Irish children and teenagers

A growing body of evidence supports the inclusion of whole grain foods in the diet to help prevent certain chronic diseases. Although much of the research has been conducted in adult cohorts, it is thought that younger populations may also benefit from whole-grain-rich diets. The aim of the present study was to quantify the intake of whole grain in Irish children and teenagers, and assess the major sources of intake. Data used in the present study were from the National Children's Food Survey and the National Teens' Food Survey, which used 7 d food diaries to collect data on habitual food and beverage consumption in representative samples of Irish children and teenagers. Results showed that over 90 % of children (5–12 years) and over 86 % of teenagers (13–17 years) are consumers of whole grain, with mean daily intakes of 18·5 and 23·2 g/d, respectively. Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals made the greatest contribution to whole grain intakes for both children and teenagers (59·3 and 44·3 %), followed by bread (14·4 and 26·5 %), with wheat being the major source of intake, accounting for over 65 % of all whole grains consumed. Whole grain consumers had significantly higher intakes of fibre, P and Mg in comparison with non-consumers of whole grain, even though whole grain intakes in this sample were well below the recommendation of three servings or 48 g/d. The present study characterises, for the first time, the patterns of whole grain consumption in Irish children and teenagers and shows whole grain intake to be low.

Pattern of intake of food additives associated with hyperactivity in Irish children and teenagers

A double-blind randomized intervention study has previously shown that a significant relationship exists between the consumption of various mixes of seven target additives by children and the onset of hyperactive behaviour. The present study set out to ascertain the pattern of intake of two mixes (A and B) of these seven target additives in Irish children and teenagers using the Irish national food consumption databases for children (n = 594) and teenagers (n = 441) and the National Food Ingredient Database. The majority of additive-containing foods consumed by both the children and teenagers contained one of the target additives. No food consumed by either the children or teenagers contained all seven of the target food additives. For each additive intake, estimates for every individual were made assuming that the additive was present at the maximum legal permitted level in those foods identified as containing it. For both groups, mean intakes of the food additives among consumers only were far below the doses used in the previous study on hyperactivity. Intakes at the 97.5th percentile of all food colours fell below the doses used in Mix B, while intakes for four of the six food colours were also below the doses used in Mix A. However, in the case of the preservative sodium benzoate, it exceeded the previously used dose in both children and teenagers. No child or teenager achieved the overall intakes used in the study linking food additives with hyperactivity.

Assessment of the influence of energy under-reporting on intake estimates of four food additives

Under-reporting has been identified as an important source of uncertainty in food chemical exposure assessments. The objective of the present study was to assess the influence of under-reporting on food additive intake estimates. Dietary survey data were derived from the North-South Ireland Food Consumption Survey (2001). Data from the Republic of Ireland (n = 958) were used. Energy under-reporters were identified using a ratio of energy intakes to estimated basal metabolic rate. First, food categories (n = 26) included in an assessment of exposure of four food additives were created and patterns of food intakes (i.e. likelihood of consumption, frequency of consumption and reported portion size) between acceptable and under-reporters compared. Second, for each food additive, deterministic intake estimates for the total sample (i.e. acceptable and under-reporters), under-reporters and acceptable reporters were calculated and compared. Differential reporting of the majority of food categories between acceptable and under-reporters was recorded. Under-reporters were less likely to record the consumption of a given food and more likely to under-report the frequency of consumption and portion size compared with acceptable reporters. Food additive intake estimates amongst acceptable reporters were higher than corresponding intake estimates amongst the total sample of reporters and amongst under-reporters. With the exception of one food additive (erythrosine), ratios of upper percentile additive intakes amongst acceptable reporters to corresponding intake estimates amongst the total sample of reporters did not exceed 1.06 when results were expressed as total population or consumer-only intakes. Findings illustrated that energy under-reporting does not materially influence estimates of food additive exposure based on the four food additives studied. However, a number of situations were identified where the under-reporting might exert a more significant impact on resulting exposure estimates.

Assessment of food intake input distributions for use in probabilistic exposure assessments of food additives

A key component of a food chemical exposure assessment using probabilistic analysis is the selection of the most appropriate input distribution to represent exposure variables. The study explored the type of parametric distribution that could be used to model variability in food consumption data likely to be included in a probabilistic exposure assessment of food additives. The goodness-of-fit of a range of continuous distributions to observed data of 22 food categories expressed as average daily intakes among consumers from the North-South Ireland Food Consumption Survey was assessed using the BestFit distribution fitting program. The lognormal distribution was most commonly accepted as a plausible parametric distribution to represent food consumption data when food intakes were expressed as absolute intakes (16/22 foods) and as intakes per kg body weight (18/22 foods). Results from goodness-of-fit tests were accompanied by lognormal probability plots for a number of food categories. The influence on food additive intake of using a lognormal distribution to model food consumption input data was assessed by comparing modelled intake estimates with observed intakes. Results from the present study advise some level of caution about the use of a lognormal distribution as a mode of input for food consumption data in probabilistic food additive exposure assessments and the results highlight the need for further research in this area.

Introduction to the Monte Carlo project and the approach to the validation of probabilistic models of dietary exposure to selected food chemicals

The Monte Carlo project was established to allow an international collaborative effort to define conceptual models for food chemical and nutrient exposure, to define and validate the software code to govern these models, to provide new or reconstructed databases for validation studies, and to use the new software code to complete validation modelling. Models were considered valid when they provided exposure estimates (e(a)) that could be shown not to underestimate the true exposure (e(b)), but at the same time are more realistic than the currently used conservative estimates (e(c)). Thus, validation required e(b) </= e(a)<e(c). In the case of pesticides, validation involved the collection of duplicate diets from 500 infants for pesticide analysis. In the case of intense sweeteners, a new consumption dataset was created among prescreened high consumers of intense sweeteners by recording, at brand level, all foods and beverages ingested over 12 days. In the case of nutrients and additives, existing databases were modified to minimize uncertainty over the model parameters. In most instances, it was possible to generate probabilistic models that fulfilled the validation criteria.

Validation analysis of probabilistic models of dietary exposure to food additives

The validity of a range of simple conceptual models designed specifically for the estimation of food additive intakes using probabilistic analysis was assessed. Modelled intake estimates that fell below traditional conservative point estimates of intake and above 'true' additive intakes (calculated from a reference database at brand level) were considered to be in a valid region. Models were developed for 10 food additives by combining food intake data, the probability of an additive being present in a food group and additive concentration data. Food intake and additive concentration data were entered as raw data or as a lognormal distribution, and the probability of an additive being present was entered based on the per cent brands or the per cent eating occasions within a food group that contained an additive. Since the three model components assumed two possible modes of input, the validity of eight (2(3)) model combinations was assessed. All model inputs were derived from the reference database. An iterative approach was employed in which the validity of individual model components was assessed first, followed by validation of full conceptual models. While the distribution of intake estimates from models fell below conservative intakes, which assume that the additive is present at maximum permitted levels (MPLs) in all foods in which it is permitted, intake estimates were not consistently above 'true' intakes. These analyses indicate the need for more complex models for the estimation of food additive intakes using probabilistic analysis. Such models should incorporate information on market share and/or brand loyalty.