Acrylamide content of industrial and traditional popcorn collected from Tehran's market, Iran: A risk assessment study.

Acrylamide as a probable human carcinogen can be produced via the Maillard reaction between asparagine and reducing sugars at high temperatures during food processing. In this study, the concentration of acrylamide in industrial and traditional popcorn sold in Tehran, Iran in the spring of 2021 was analyzed. Industrial popcorn is popcorn that has a manufacturing license from the health authorities. Traditional popcorn is sold by retailers in entertainment centers. Estimated daily intake (EDI) and margin of exposure (MOE) for neurological changes and neoplastic effects have been estimated. The values of limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were determined as 3.1 and 10.2 ng/mL, respectively. The amount of acrylamide was measured ranging from nondetectable up to 14.8 mg/kg. Acrylamide was detected in 86% of samples. The level of acrylamide in most popcorn samples has been detected as greater than LOD and LOQ. The average content of acrylamide in traditional popcorn was determined to be 7.7 mg/kg which was higher than the average value of 3.08 mg/kg found in industrial popcorn. Significant difference was observed between industrial and traditional popcorn samples. The average intake of popcorn for adolescent population was estimated as 2 g per day. EDI was calculated as 0.3 and 0.12 µg/kg of body weight per day for the traditional and industrial popcorn. These results indicated that popcorn can be considered a potential source of acrylamide exposure in the adolescent population. Furthermore, if the actual MOEs for neurological and neoplastic effects are estimated to be less than 10 000, it is considered a health risk. In this study, MOE has been estimated lower than 10 000 for neurological changes and neoplastic effects.

The radionuclides contamination in eggs as an environmental marker: a systematic review.

Foods are contaminated with natural and man-made radionuclides. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the amount and type of radionuclides in eggs, as well as the biomarker capability of eggs. The research studies with keywords radionuclide, radioisotopes, contamination and egg were searched in PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct databases, regardless of publication time. A number of 70 studies were obtained and only 13 articles were finally selected according to exclusion, inclusion criteria and quality assessment results. Studies which detected radionuclide in the hen eggs were selected. The highest frequency of radionuclides belonged to Ra-226 and Cs-137. The index of natural radionuclides is Ra-226 and the index of synthetic radionuclides is Cs-137. The local eggs, in addition to determining food contamination, can also be a good biomarker for identifying environmental contamination.

The role of additives on acrylamide formation in food products: a systematic review.

Acrylamide (AA) is a toxic substance formed in many carbohydrate-rich food products, whose formation can be reduced by adding some additives. Furthermore, the type of food consumed determines the AA intake. According to the compiled information, the first route causing AA formation is the Maillard reaction. Some interventions, such as reducing AA precursors in raw materials, (i.e., asparagine), reducing sugars, or decreasing temperature and processing time can be applied to limit AA formation in food products. The L-asparaginase is more widely used in potato products. Also, coatings loaded with proteins, enzymes, and phenolic compounds are new techniques for reducing AA content. Enzymes have a reducing effect on AA formation by acting on asparagine; proteins by competing with amino acids to participate in Maillard, and phenolic compounds through their radical scavenging activity. On the other hand, some synthetic and natural additives increase the formation of AA. Due to the high exposure to AA and its toxic effects, it is essential to recognize suitable food additives to reduce the health risks for consumers. In this sense, this study focuses on different additives that are proven to be effective in the reduction or formation of AA in food products.

Contamination of potentially toxic metals in children's toys marketed in Iran.

Chemical exposure of heavy metals in children is of particular concern. However, using heavy metal-contaminated toys can threaten the life and well-being of children. Therefore, quality control of toys for avoiding children exposure to potentially toxic metals is important. The investigation of potentially toxic metals (arsenic, barium, antimony, cadmium, chromium, mercury, lead, selenium) in toys was performed in present study. A total number of 150 popular cheap priced plastic toy samples were purchased from the eight metropolitan and most visited provinces in Iran and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer for arsenic, barium, antimony cadmium, chromium, mercury, lead, and selenium. As results showed As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Sb, and Se respectively were in the range of 0-0.9 mg/kg, 0.3-5 mg/kg, 0-3.1 mg/kg, 0.04-4.8 mg/kg, 0-0.03 mg/kg, 0.22-11.7 mg/kg, 0-1.2 mg/kg, and 0.03-1.1 mg/kg. Cadmium was higher than the European standard in Kurdistan province. The highest amount of mercury was also observed in Tehran. The highest amount of lead, selenium, and antimony was detected in Qom province. The results showed that all the toxic elements in the collected toys were within the permissible limit. Furthermore, market monitoring is needed to control toys safety on a large scale in metropolitan cities like Qom province.