Acrylamide exposure among Turkish toddlers from selected cereal-based baby food samples

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Toxicology
• Pediatric Nutrition

Background:

• Acrylamide is a potential carcinogen found in various cooked foods.
• Cereal-based products are common dietary staples for infants and toddlers.
• Assessing exposure is crucial for understanding potential health risks in vulnerable populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify acrylamide exposure in toddlers (1-3 years) in Turkey.
• To identify specific cereal-based baby foods contributing most to acrylamide intake.
• To establish a baseline for dietary acrylamide exposure in this demographic.

Main Methods:

• A three-step approach combining food consumption data, physical characteristics, and acrylamide level determination.
• Utilized questionnaires for food consumption and physical data collection from parents.
• Employed gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for precise acrylamide quantification in food samples.
• Applied a deterministic model to estimate daily acrylamide exposure per body weight (BW).

Main Results:

• Mean acrylamide levels varied significantly across food types, with crackers (604 μg/kg) and biscuits (495 μg/kg) showing the highest concentrations.
• Estimated mean daily acrylamide exposure was 1.43 μg/kg BW, with a range from 0.06 to 6.41 μg/kg BW.
• Bread, crackers, and biscuits were the primary sources of acrylamide exposure among the studied foods.

Conclusions:

• Toddlers in Turkey are exposed to acrylamide through consumption of cereal-based baby foods.
• Dietary habits significantly influence individual acrylamide exposure levels.
• Further research and potential mitigation strategies are warranted to reduce acrylamide intake in infants and young children.