Determination of high-intensity sweeteners in bakery products marketed in Brazil and dietary exposure assessment.

Bakery products, including biscuits, cakes and breads, generally present a high content of simple sugars of rapid absorption, high fat content and low amount of dietary fiber, which make them highly caloric foods. Although sucrose is a very important ingredient in bakery products for its preservation characteristics and a significant source of energy, there is a growing interest in replacing this sugar with alternative substances, such as high-intensity sweeteners (HIS) that provide sweetness with no or low calories. In Brazil, there is no data on the use of HIS in this class of food. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of HIS in baked food commercially available in the country and estimate the dietary exposure to these food additives. For that, an analytical method was established for the simultaneous determination of nine HIS in bakery products using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Sample preparation steps were required based on mechanical kneading for homogenization, hexane extraction of fats, dilution in mobile phase and vortex homogenization, prior to injection into the system. The results obtained during validation showed that coefficients of variation (CV%) for precision were lower than 13.8% and the accuracy was between 91.6% and 109.1%. Aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sodium cyclamate, saccharin, sucralose and steviol glycosides were found in the samples, used alone or in combinations of up five substances. Steviol glycosides were the most found HIS in biscuit samples, while sucralose was the most common sweetener in cake and bread samples. Analysis of product labels revealed only three different claims, .i.e. 'no sugar', 'no added sugar' and 'zero sugar', with the latter being found in 70% of the samples. Exposure to HIS through the consumption of bakery products estimated per eating occasion showed no concerns regarding toxicological risk.

Simultaneous determination of nine high-intensity sweeteners in liquid and powder tabletop sweeteners.

Government regulatory actions and public policies have been recently implemented in Brazil due to the excessive consumption of sugar. Therefore, it becomes relevant to determine the levels of high-intensity sweeteners in tabletop sweeteners consumed by the Brazilian population. Thus, an analytical method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of nine sweeteners (acesulfame potassium, aspartame, advantame, sodium cyclamate, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, stevioside, and rebaudioside A) by using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry in tandem. The sample preparation encompassed only dilution steps. The method was validated taking into account the parameters of linearity, precision, accuracy, and matrix effects. The analytes were determined in two different batches of 21 commercial liquid and powder tabletop sweeteners available on the local market, totaling 42 samples. A minimum of one and a maximum of four sweeteners were found in the analyzed products and sweeteners that were not described on the label were not detected. It is expected that the established method can be used in monitoring programs and that the presented results can contribute to exposure assessments performed nationally.

Low- and no-calorie sweetener intakes from beverages - an up-to-date assessment in four regions: Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The current assessment estimated exposure to four low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) (aspartame, acesulfame potassium (AceK), steviol glycosides and sucralose) from beverages in Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States, using up-to-date nationally representative consumption data and industry reported-use level information. Two modelling scenarios were applied - the probabilistic model was guided by reported use level data, with estimated intake for an individual leveraging market-weighted average use level of a particular LNCS in any given LNCS-sweetened beverage type, while the distributional (brand-loyal) model assumed consumer behaviour-led patterns, namely that an individual will be brand loyal to a pre-determined beverage type. Consumer-only and general population intake estimates were derived for the overall population and individual age categories, and compared to the respective acceptable daily intake (ADI) as established by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) for each LNCS. The mean, 90th percentile and 95th percentile intake estimates were substantially lower than the ADI in both modelling scenarios, regardless of the population group or market. In the probabilistic model, the highest consumer-only intake was observed for AceK in Brazilian adolescents (95th percentile, 12.4% of the ADI), while the highest 95th percentile intakes in the distributional model were observed for sucralose in Canadian adults at 20.9% of the ADI. This study provides the latest insights into current intakes of LNCS from water-based non-alcoholic LNCS-sweetened beverages in these regions, aligning well with those published elsewhere.

Low- and no-calorie sweetener intakes in the Brazilian population estimated using added sugar substitution modelling.

This research examined the intakes of six low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) (acesulfame-K, aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin, steviol glycosides, and sucralose) by the Brazilian population using an added sugar substitution approach. Detailed exposure modelling requires the use of proprietary concentration data, which can be difficult to obtain. Two exposure models were conducted using nationally representative food consumption data. The first model ('per person') estimated added sugar intakes on an individual person basis, replacing 50% of added sugar intakes >10% total energy with each LNCS considering sucrose sweetness equivalence. The second model ('per food') replaced 50% of the added sugar content in foods and beverages with each LNCS, incorporating sucrose sweetness equivalence and Brazilian tonnage data. Both models predicted that intakes would be below the JECFA ADI for five of the six LNCS in all population groups examined (≥10 years) for average and heavy consumers. For cyclamate, exceedance of the ADI was determined for all age groups amongst heavy consumers in the 'per person' model, while estimated intakes in the 'per food' model were below or reached the ADI for the cohort. Additional research is needed for younger age groups to confirm whether these findings are applicable to the entire Brazilian population.

Intake of low and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) by the Brazilian population.

Estimated intake of six low and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) (acesulfame potassium, aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin, steviol glycosides and sucralose) from processed foods and beverages, as well as from tabletop sweeteners uses, by the Brazilian population were derived and compared to the respective Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). The estimates were based on dietary consumption data from a nationwide cross-sectional survey conducted by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) in 2008-2009 and LNCS use rates and associated market share information based on data provided by Brazilian industry members. Two intake scenarios were considered: a conservative brand loyal consumer scenario that assumes all LNCS-containing foods and beverages and tabletop sweeteners contain the maximum reported LNCS concentrations (Scenario A) and a scenario representative of the general consumer population that uses a market share weighted average of the reported concentrations (Scenario B). Intake estimates were derived for the total Brazilian population (age 10 + y), and for the subpopulations of adolescents (10-18y), adults (19-59y), and older adults (60 + y). Intake of LNCS up to the 95th percentile did not exceed their respective ADI for all subpopulations considered, in either the general consumer scenario or the brand loyal scenario. Among consumers age 10 + y, the 95th percentile intakes of the various LNCS ranged from 6.8% to 54% of their respective ADI for the brand loyal scenario and from <1% to 6.0% of their respective ADIs for the general consumer scenario.