{"title":"Caffeine levels and voluntary labelling accuracy of guarana-containing solid foods in Korea: A pre-implementation market baseline (2020-2021).","authors":"Insook Lee, Soyoung Jung, Minsu Chang, Yunjeong Yi, Yongcheol Lee, Youngju Lee, Hyunjung Jang, Hyunjeong Kim","doi":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2683913","DOIUrl":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2683913","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Caffeine labelling requirements in the Republic of Korea were revised in 2024, with expanded provisions for guarana-containing solid foods implemented on 1 January 2026. This study quantified caffeine concentrations in 61 guarana-containing solid and semi-solid products purchased in Korea (2020-2021), prior to the enforcement of the revised requirements, using HPLC with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD). Single-serving caffeine intake was estimated based on labelled serving sizes and compared against established safety benchmarks. For powdered products, caffeine concentrations ranged from 0.2 to 30.2 mg/g, yielding up to 218.7 mg per maximum labelled serving. Single-serving exposure peaked at 4.4 mg/kg body weight (bw) for a 50 kg adolescent, exceeding the conservative daily intake screening value of 2.5 mg/kg bw/day, applied under a one-serving-per-day worst-case assumption. This exposure also accounted for approximately 109% of the 200-mg single-dose reference and 55% of the 400-mg/day guidance level for adults. Eight powdered products exceeded a hazard quotient (HQ) of 1 for adolescents under a conservative one-serving-per-day screening scenario. The HQ framework was used solely as a screening tool to identify products requiring further scrutiny; HQ values > 1 should not be interpreted as evidence of adverse health effects. Applying Korea's current high-caffeine criterion for guarana-containing solid foods (≥ 0.15 mg/g), 59 of 61 products (96.7%) would require mandatory quantitative disclosure; however, only 14 of 61 (23.0%) provided such information at the time of purchase. These findings establish a pre-implementation baseline for post-2026 market monitoring.</p>","PeriodicalId":520628,"journal":{"name":"Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment","volume":" ","pages":"1127-1141"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148298776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Imane Boudriiya, Vicenç Martí, Ayoub Kounnoun, Mohammed El Maadoudi, Naoual Alahlah, Naima Ait Lamine, Amin Laglaoui, Mounir Hassani Zerrouk
{"title":"A multi-tiered approach for human health risk assessment of pesticide residues in green peppers using Monte Carlo simulation.","authors":"Imane Boudriiya, Vicenç Martí, Ayoub Kounnoun, Mohammed El Maadoudi, Naoual Alahlah, Naima Ait Lamine, Amin Laglaoui, Mounir Hassani Zerrouk","doi":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2691366","DOIUrl":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2691366","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Exposure to pesticide residues in vegetables remains a major concern for human health. This study proposes a robust, multi-tiered human health risk assessment framework to support food safety decision-making, using sweet green peppers as a case study. The approach integrates regulatory compliance assessment (Tier 1), deterministic evaluation (Tier 2), and probabilistic modelling (Tier 3). Pesticide residues from 80 samples were quantified using a QuEChERS UPLC-MS/MS method validated according to SANTE/11312/2021 guidelines. Residues were detected in 37.5% of samples, with 13 active substances quantified above the limit of quantification, and only 3.75% exceeding EU maximum residue limits, indicating high compliance. The deterministic assessment (Tier 2), based on a conservative intake-to-body weight ratio and mean concentrations of quantified residues, resulted in cumulative hazard index (HI) values of 0.044 for adults and 0.046 for children/adolescents. The inclusion of non-quantified compounds using the Middle-Bound approach (LOQ/2) increased the cumulative HI values to 0.067 for adults and 0.071 for children/adolescents. In contrast, the probabilistic risk assessment (Tier 3), based on fitted distributions of residue concentrations and dietary intake, yielded cumulative risk estimates at upper exposure percentiles (p90-p99), ranging from 0.0006 to 0.0045 for adults and from 0.0011 to 0.0057 for children/adolescents. These findings highlight the added value of probabilistic approaches for characterising dietary risk by incorporating exposure variability and reducing uncertainty. In particular, Tier 3 enables a more realistic estimation of exposure based on limited quantitative data and allows the integration and interpretation of values below the LOQ, thereby contributing to a more robust risk assessment.</p>","PeriodicalId":520628,"journal":{"name":"Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment","volume":" ","pages":"1182-1195"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148451321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ivana Bianchi, Robert Brogioli, Hind El-Hadri, Otmar Geiss, Hans-Ulrich Scheele, Silvio Arpagaus, Josefa Barrero
{"title":"A comparative evaluation of analytical methods for the detection of titanium dioxide in chewing gum.","authors":"Ivana Bianchi, Robert Brogioli, Hind El-Hadri, Otmar Geiss, Hans-Ulrich Scheele, Silvio Arpagaus, Josefa Barrero","doi":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2681204","DOIUrl":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2681204","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The EU ban on the use of titanium dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>) as a food additive (E 171) has highlighted the need for harmonised and robust analytical methods to ensure uniform regulatory compliance and safeguard consumer health. This study compares three instrumental methods, namely portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), macro-Raman spectroscopy (applied to both intact and digested samples), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), for detecting and quantifying titanium (Ti) or titanium dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>) in 35 chewing-gum samples of different shapes and colours, outlining their specific advantages and limitations. The results show that two items contained E 171, in agreement with the label declarations, and demonstrate, for the specific case of chewing gums where TiO<sub>2</sub> is added to the coating, high concordance among the four applied analytical approaches. pXRF and Macro-Raman spectroscopy, when applied to intact samples, enable safe and rapid screening on the presence of Ti and TiO<sub>2</sub> respectively in the sample's surface while a mild acidic digestion step followed by Raman analysis provides a confirmatory step for complex or interfered spectra. ICP-MS, despite relying on careful and laborious sample preparation, allows accurate quantitative results of Ti to estimate TiO<sub>2</sub>. Thanks to its sensitivity and elemental specificity, low Ti levels can be determined which however may not necessarily indicate intentional E 171 addition.</p>","PeriodicalId":520628,"journal":{"name":"Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment","volume":" ","pages":"1063-1070"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148166802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploration of the construction of a food safety risk index evaluation system for chemical contaminants in fresh vegetables.","authors":"Yijun Ou, Zhiheng Lai, Yuhua Zhang, Yanyan Wang, Yan Li, Rongfei Peng, Zhijun Bai, Sixuan Wu, Jiangbo Lei, Weiwei Zhang","doi":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2658575","DOIUrl":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2658575","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fresh vegetables, widely consumed agricultural products, have attracted considerable attention in food safety research, particularly on chemical contamination. Because vegetable-related risks are shaped by multiple interacting factors, this study develops a comprehensive risk evaluation index system and an associated composite calculation method for assessing food safety risks from chemical contamination in fresh vegetables. The Modified Delphi method was used to identify indicators at all levels. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was then applied to determine indicator weights, and an index calculation method was developed based on the comprehensive index method and the multiplicative synthesis method. Finally, this method was used to assess the risks of fresh vegetables in Guangzhou from 2017 to 2024. The final system comprises 5 primary indicators and 17 secondary indicators, and its scientific validity and reliability were confirmed. The empirical analysis showed that overall risk remained low over 2017-2024, and the total risk index was on an upward trend from 2017 to 2020, peaking in 2020. Among chemical categories, metallic elements, organophosphates and pyrethroids were the major contributors to total risk. Regarding vegetable varieties, leafy vegetables and fresh beans showed higher composite risk indices. The food safety risk index evaluation system developed in this study is scientifically grounded, feasible, and can serve as an effective tool for assessing the edible safety of fresh vegetables while providing new insights for food safety analysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":520628,"journal":{"name":"Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment","volume":" ","pages":"961-976"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147849138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessment of allergenic peanut residue in commercial baby biscuits: implications for food safety and consumer protection.","authors":"Nilgün Önder, Karlo Muratoglu","doi":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2683667","DOIUrl":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2683667","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Peanuts are among the most clinically important food allergens and may cause severe reactions even at very low exposure levels. This study investigated the presence of peanut residues in packaged baby biscuits marketed on the European side of Istanbul without peanut-containing ingredient declarations. A total of 100 packaged baby biscuit samples labelled as not containing peanut ingredients were collected from retail outlets in Basaksehir (n = 35), Eyup (n = 33), and Avcılar (n = 32) between January and June 2022 and analysed using a commercial ELISA kit (RIDASCREEN® FAST Peanut; analytical range 3.3-20 mg/kg, with a limit of detection of 3.3 mg/kg). The products consisted of plain, whole grain, goat's milk-based, vegetable-based, butter-based, apple-flavoured, and gluten-free baby biscuits. Peanut residues above the kit threshold (3.30 mg/kg) were detected in 15 samples (15%), with quantified values ranging from 3.94 to 4.93 mg/kg, while the remaining 85 samples (85%) were below the detection limit. No statistically significant association was found between product type and the presence of peanut residues. These findings demonstrate a potential risk of unintentional peanut presence in baby biscuits and highlight the need for strengthened allergen management, validated cleaning procedures, and accurate allergen labelling to protect sensitive consumer groups, particularly infants and young children.</p>","PeriodicalId":520628,"journal":{"name":"Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment","volume":" ","pages":"1012-1018"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148240919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"<i>Dendrobium devonum</i> juice modulates aroma formation in coffee cherry husks processing: insights into key pathways and flavour enhancement.","authors":"Wenrui Huang, Zhiting Zhang, Jiawei Tang, Qinghua Chuai, Yinbo Wang, Rong Wang, Yongming Bao, Feng Guo","doi":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2672416","DOIUrl":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2672416","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Coffee cherry husk (CCH), accounting for 40-50% of the coffee cherry mass, is a polyphenol- and fibre-rich by-product with untapped potential. However, its commercial use is limited by pronounced bitterness, inconsistent composition, and suboptimal extraction efficiency. This study evaluated the impact of roasting CCH from Fei Pica coffee (Baoshan, China) with <i>Dendrobium devonum</i> juice as a natural flavour modulator under three thermal regimes (180-220 °C, 6-12 min). Comprehensive characterisation-including physicochemical parameters, antioxidant capacity, and volatile profiling via HS-SPME-GC-MS after hot water/ethanol extraction-showed that higher roasting severity reduced native bioactives (e.g. phenolics, flavonoids, and caffeine). Antioxidant activity initially increased but declined sharply at 220 °C, yielding net pro-oxidant effects. Volatiles were primarily alkanes and aromatics, with <i>Dendrobium devonum</i> juice incorporation significantly enhancing aroma complexity. The results confirm that controlled thermal processing combined with DDJ offers a viable strategy to transform CCH into high-value, functional food ingredients aligned with circular economy principles.</p>","PeriodicalId":520628,"journal":{"name":"Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment","volume":" ","pages":"993-1011"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148274464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bogyoung Choi, Eun Hye Choi, Jiyoung Mun, Jee-Yeon Lee, Sung-Ok Kwon, Cho-Il Kim, Hyun-Mee Park
{"title":"Dietary exposure to ochratoxin A and zearalenone in edible vegetable oils among the Korean population.","authors":"Bogyoung Choi, Eun Hye Choi, Jiyoung Mun, Jee-Yeon Lee, Sung-Ok Kwon, Cho-Il Kim, Hyun-Mee Park","doi":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2681968","DOIUrl":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2681968","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This research investigated the concentrations and dietary exposure of ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEN) in edible vegetable oils among the Korean population. In 2022, 80 edible vegetable oil samples were collected from various retail sources in Korea. OTA was detected in 7.5% of the samples, and ZEN was detected in 62.5%. Dietary intake estimates were based on our findings and food consumption data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Dietary exposure was evaluated under lower bound, middle bound, and upper bound scenarios. The margin of exposure for OTA at the 95th percentile exposure exceeded 10,000 in all scenarios, indicating a low health concern. The estimated daily intake of ZEN under the three scenarios accounted for 0.03-0.11% of the tolerable daily intake of 0.4 μg/kg bw/day in the overall population, with the 95th percentile exposure reaching 0.11%, indicating that ZEN exposure from edible vegetable oils was well below the health-based guidance value. These results indicate that dietary exposure to OTA and ZEN from edible vegetable oils is not considered to pose a significant health risk to the Korean population.</p>","PeriodicalId":520628,"journal":{"name":"Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment","volume":" ","pages":"1100-1111"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148255480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aya Nsr Hassan, Mahmoud A Mohamed, Abdelrahman M Marzouk, Ahmed M Gomaa, AlaaEldean Fathy Ahmed Aboelhassan, Hanan S Gaballa
{"title":"Monitoring of <i>Alternaria</i> mycotoxins in tomato paste: method development, validation, and dietary risk assessment in Egypt.","authors":"Aya Nsr Hassan, Mahmoud A Mohamed, Abdelrahman M Marzouk, Ahmed M Gomaa, AlaaEldean Fathy Ahmed Aboelhassan, Hanan S Gaballa","doi":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2662639","DOIUrl":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2662639","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Alternaria</i> toxins-particularly alternariol (AOH), alternariol methyl ether (AME), and tenuazonic acid (TeA)-are among the most concerning mycotoxins frequently detected in tomato paste, posing potential health risks to both adults and children. This study provides the first comprehensive investigation in Egypt assessing dietary exposure and the toxicological implications of these toxins in tomato paste, employing a rapid and streamlined analytical approach. The proposed method involves a 10 min sample preparation step followed by LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis with a 6 min run time. Method validation demonstrated robust analytical performance, with recovery rates ranging from 82% to 114%. Repeatability and intermediate precision (RSDs) ranged from 2.8% to 10.9% and 3.0% to 11.0%, respectively. Limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were in the ranges of 0.15-5 µg/kg and 0.5-20 µg/kg, respectively. Excellent linearity was achieved (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.9999). The validated method was applied to 200 tomato paste samples collected across Egypt. The results revealed a widespread occurrence of AOH, AME, and TeA, with AOH identified as the predominant toxin, followed by AME and TeA. Although the estimated dietary intake (EDI) and the 95th percentile exposure levels for AOH and AME exceeded the threshold of toxicological concern, the calculated hazard quotient (HQ) values remained below unity, indicating no immediate health risk under current consumption patterns. Nevertheless, potential concerns remain for AOH and AME, particularly among high consumers and children. These findings provide a scientific basis for future mitigation strategies and further research aimed at reducing <i>Alternaria</i> toxin contamination in tomato paste.</p>","PeriodicalId":520628,"journal":{"name":"Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment","volume":" ","pages":"1071-1086"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147871318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Post-processing dynamics of acrylamide in food: a comprehensive review on the influence of storage conditions.","authors":"Edna Juliana Herrera-Ramirez, Adriana Pavesi Arisseto-Bragotto","doi":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2673200","DOIUrl":"10.1080/19440049.2026.2673200","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acrylamide (AA), a heat-induced carcinogenic contaminant, changes during food storage, yet the factors governing its stability are not fully understood. This systematic review analyzes the effects of storage time, temperature, packaging, and food matrix on AA levels in processed foods. Overall, AA concentrations decreased in most matrices, with the largest reductions occurring in low-moisture products (coffee, cocoa, nuts), particularly at temperatures ≥25 °C. Sporadic AA increases were reported in some cereal-, nut-, and vegetable-based foods, but these were uncommon. Storage time and temperature were the primary determinants of AA stability, while freezing largely preserved AA content. Packaging effects were inconsistent and often secondary to matrix characteristics. Cluster analysis revealed distinct stability patterns driven mainly by the interaction between storage time, temperature, and matrix type, confirming that AA degradation predominates during storage across most foods.</p>","PeriodicalId":520628,"journal":{"name":"Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment","volume":" ","pages":"1019-1034"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147966945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}