Dietary exposure assessment to sulfites (SO2) in the Moroccan adult population

Sulfites are a group of chemical food preservatives widely used in the food industry and may cause sensitivities and health adverse. Thus, sulfites are subject to an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of 0.7 mg/kg of body weight. An exposure assessment was conducted to estimate the potential daily intake of sulfites in the Moroccan adult population. Dietary exposure assessment to sulfites was performed by combining analytical concentrations of selected foods, according to the optimized Monier-Williams method, and sulfitescontaining food consumption data derived from an online food frequency questionnaire. For the total population, the mean dietary intake of sulfites was only 18% of the ADI. For the consumer group, the mean intake was well below the ADI, accounting for 27% of the ADI. Dietary exposure to sulfites of the regular consumer group exceeds the ADI at the mean of 137%. Dietary exposure to sulfites was also assessed in the adult asthmatic population, where the ADI is exceeded only at the 95th percentile of female asthmatic consumers, up to 113% of the ADI. The highest food contributors to sulfites intakes were potato chips, olives, and barbecue sausage. The results showed that the risk of exceeding the ADI is observed for a limited part of the population (regular consumers). However, for the asthmatic population, possibly more sensitive to sulfites, the consumption of sulfitescontaining foods should be limited and controlled.