Coumarin is a flavoring which can cause hepatotoxicity in experimental animals and in a proportion of the human population. The tolerable daily intake (TDI) may be exceeded in consumers with high intake of cinnamon containing high levels of coumarin. The objective of this study was to determine these levels in cinnamon samples and to identify possible factors influencing them. A HPLC method to quantify coumarin and related constituents (cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, cinnamyl alcohol, eugenol) in a single run was used. Results found in 47 cinnamon powder samples obtained from the German retail market confirmed high levels of coumarin in cassia cinnamon. A huge variation was observed in stick samples from two packages (range from below the limit of detection to about 10000 mg/kg). Cassia bark samples of five trees received directly from Indonesia were analyzed additionally. Interestingly, a high variation was observed in one of the trees, whereas no coumarin was detected in the samples of two other trees. In conclusion, coumarin levels in cassia cinnamon can vary widely even within a single tree.

The stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of urine and milk samples from cattle under different feeding regimes were analysed over a period of six months. The isotope ratios were measured with isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). The delta13C values of milk and urine were dependent on different feeding regimes based on C3 or C4 plants. The delta13C values are more negative under grass feeding than under maize feeding. The delta 13C values of milk are more negative compared to urine and independent of the feeding regime. Under grass feeding the analysed milk and urine samples are enriched in 13C relative to the feed, whereas under maize feeding the 13C/12C ratio of urine is in the same range and milk is depleted in 13C relative to the diet. The difference between the 15N/14N ratios for the two feeding regimes is less pronounced than the 13C/12C ratios. The delta 15N values in urine require more time to reach the new equilibrium, whereas the milk samples show no significant differences between the two feeding regimes.

No abstract

The use of anabolic substances is prohibited in food-producing animals throughout the European Union. No method is available to reliably detect the misuse of natural hormones in cattle. A method was developed to detect the abuse of testosterone in cattle fattening. Synthesized testosterone is rather depleted in the (13)C/(12)C ratio. Hence, the method is based on gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS) analysis of urine. To select testosterone metabolites and endogenous reference compounds (ERC), the concentration of urinary steroids of cattle was investigated. Dehydroepiandrosterone and androst-5ene-3beta,17alpha-diol were chosen as ERCs to show endogenous (13)C/(12)C ratios. Etiocholanolone and 5alpha-androstane-3beta,17alpha-diol were chosen as the most important testosterone metabolites. Other metabolites known from literature like epitestosterone were less promising. In principle, GC/C/IRMS is a nonspecific method because finally carbon dioxide is analyzed. Therefore, a dedicated cleanup procedure for the selected steroids was developed. By means of proposed confidence intervals in the isotopic composition of ERCs and metabolites, the administration of testosterone to cattle could be detected reliably. Differences of up to 11 per thousand on the delta-scale between ERC and testosterone metabolites were found after testosterone administration, whereas endogenous differences did not exceed 2 per thousand.

The discovery of fatty acid esters of monochloropropanediol (MCPD) and glycidol generated during the refinement process in vegetable fats and oils caused concerns about possible adverse health effects. As these fats are components of infant formula, the current investigation of the MCPD and glycidyl ester contents in infant formula was necessary to update the data for risk assessment purposes. For the analysis of 3-MCPD, 2-MCPD and glycidyl esters in infant formula, an existing method for fats and oils had to be modified and validated. The fat fraction containing MCPD and glycidyl esters was extracted from infant formula by accelerated solvent extraction (ASE). The extracted fat was then analysed according to an established method for fats and oils. Glycidyl esters are converted to monobrompropanediol (3-MBPD) esters, MCPD and 3-MBPD esters hydrolysed subsequently and after derivatisation detected by GC-MS. Seven different products of infant formula, covering two types and five lots each, altogether 70 samples, were bought in retail markets and analysed. In all samples, 3-MCPD and glycidyl esters could be detected. Both 3-MCPD and glycidyl esters' concentration levels were found to be lower in comparison with earlier investigations described in the literature. The occurrence of 2-MCPD esters in infant formula was investigated for the first time and revealed concentrations about half of 3-MCPD ester concentrations.