Health risks of chloropropanols in foodstuffs

Abstract

Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra radiologie a toxikologie Summary Certain chlorinated propanols occur as contaminants in some foodstuffs, particularly in plant protein hydrolyzates. The most frequently occurring contaminant from this chemical group known as chloropropanol is 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD). Together with 1,3-dichloropropanol (1,3-DCP), it was identified as a substance produced in the manufacture of spicy admixtures through the acid hydrolysis of plant proteins. 3-MCPD is a contaminant encountered in the course of the meal preparation and it was first found in different spices, such as plant protein hydrolyzates and soya or oyster sauce. 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP can also be produced in foodstuffs as a result of heat effects (for example when baking cereal products) similarly as in the course of the food preparation and storage, but the accurate mechanism of their production is still unknown. Chloropropanols are produced in foodstuffs simultaneously containing fat and salt, if they are exposed to high temperature in the course of cooking. Studies are aimed at 3-MCPD, which induces infertility in rats, inhibits immunity reactions and is likely to be carcinogenic. In 2001, the Scientific Committee for Foodstuffs established the tolerable daily intake of 3-MCPD as 2 mg/kg (per kg body weight) and anchored in legal EU regulations of 3-MCPD concentrations of 20 mg/kg for food prepared from hydrolyzed plant proteins and for the soya sauce. In 2007, 3-MCPD-esters of fatty acids (3-MCPD esters) were first found in a number of foodstuffs including refined edible fats, such as margarine and oils but also in products for suckling babies and in the human milk. In spite of the fact that there are a number of toxicological studies performed in animals, little is known about the mechanism of the 3-MCPD ester production, their bioavailability, toxicological kinetics, toxicological dynamics and toxicity. The article presented here deals with possible risks of 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP to human health.