Assessment of hydroxymethylfurfural intake in the Spanish diet

Estimation of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) exposure of the Spanish population from heat-processed food was performed. HMF levels in Spanish foods were obtained from the data previously published in peer-reviewed papers; in addition, it was identified which food categories contributed significantly to HMF exposure. The potential HMF exposure was calculated for three different scenarios by using individual food intakes and the minimum (scenario 1), median (scenario 2) and maximum (scenario 3) values of analytical data on the HMF content in foods. A mean HMF intake of 10 mg day(-1) (corresponding to scenario 2) was obtained, which is only ten-fold lower than the tolerable daily intake. Coffee and bread are the most important food items that contribute nearly 85% to the total HMF daily exposure, although biscuits, breakfast cereals, beer, UHT milk and tomato products are also important for HMF exposure.