Nitrite and nitrate content in meat products and estimated nitrite intake by the Estonian children.

Public interest in nitrate and nitrite content reduction in meat products has increased; therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine nitrate and nitrite levels in commercial meat products as the main source of added nitrites, and to estimate their dietary intake by children. The intake of nitrite from processed meat products and drinking water by Estonian children was estimated. Daily intake estimations were based on the food consumption data of the National Institute for Health Development. In addition, nitrite/nitrate concentrations of meat and processed meat products were measured using a liquid chromatographic method with UV detection. Mean nitrite intakes among 1087 studied children were 0.015 and 0.016 mg kg-1 b.w. day-1, respectively, among children aged 12-35 months and 3-10 years. Acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0.07 mg nitrite kg-1 b.w. day-1 was exceeded in 3.1% of children, being more prevalent in the younger age group. Considering the consumption of processed meat and drinking water, mean nitrite intakes in the younger and the older age groups were, respectively, 21.9% and 22.9% of the ADI. Study results indicated that over a period of 10 years, children's dietary nitrite intake from processed meat products has declined, which is probably caused by changes in food preferences and decreased usage of nitrite in cured meat products by meat industries.

Acrylamide in commercial foods and intake by infants in Estonia.

Acrylamide is formed when certain foods with low moisture are prepared at above 120 ºC, especially those foods containing asparagine and reducing sugars such as glucose and fructose. Acrylamide is a probable carcinogen, and from animal evidence the margins of exposure indicate a concern for neoplastic effects. On a body weight basis infants´ acrylamide intakes are often higher than those of adults. The aim of the study was to determine acrylamide levels in different commercially-available foods and to assess dietary acrylamide intakes by infants. The acrylamide content in samples ranged widely, from

Alternative eluent composition for LC-MS analysis of perfluoroalkyl acids in raw fish samples.

A wide range of anthropogenic pollutants that possess serious environmental and health risks are known. One type of these harmful substances that have become a focus of interest during the past decade are perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), which are extensively used in industry for different purposes. Due to the harmful effects that these compounds might cause in living organisms, EFSA and EU CONTAM panel have issued a monitoring program for PFAAs in foodstuffs. This has given rise to intense research dedicated to the analysis of PFAAs over the past few years. This work focuses on chromatographic analysis of three PFAAs in fish. The analytes, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), are commonly associated with the production of fluoropolymers. Fluorinated alcohols are used as eluent components, and their possible advantages as eluent modifiers in LC-MS analysis of PFAAs, alternative retention mechanism and enhanced ionization efficiency, are examined. The analyzed fish samples originating from Estonian fresh and marine waters had low contents of PFAAs.

High level of antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter jejuni isolated from broiler chickens in Estonia in 2005 and 2006.

The development of antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli is a matter of increasing concern. Because campylobacteriosis is transmitted to humans usually via food of animal origin, the presence of antimicrobial-resistant campylobacters in broiler chickens has important public health implications. The aim of our study was to analyze resistance patterns of C. jejuni isolated from fecal samples collected at a large Estonian chicken farm, from cecal contents collected at slaughterhouses, and from meat samples collected at the retail establishments in 2005 and 2006. A total of 131 C. jejuni isolates were collected over a 13-month period and tested by the broth microdilution VetMIC method (National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, Sweden) to determine the MICs of various antimicrobials. Resistance to one or more antimicrobials was detected in 104 (79.4%) of the 131 isolates. High proportions of the isolates were resistant to enrofloxacin (73.3%) and nalidixic acid (75.6%). Multidrug resistance (resistance to three or more unrelated antimicrobials) was detected in 36 isolates (27.5%), all of which were resistant to enrofloxacin. Multidrug resistance was significantly associated with enrofloxacin resistance (P < 0.01), and the use of enrofloxacin may select for multiresistant strains.