Salt content of processed foods available in the Portuguese market

Evidence suggests that current levels of salt consumption across Europe are linked with several chronic diseases. In recent decades, high blood pressure has increased, together with the consumption of processed foods. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a salt intake of less than 5 g/day for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the salt content of processed foods available in the Portuguese market and to compare the determined values with the recommended daily intake established by WHO. Categories of processed foods that contribute to a higher intake of salt were identified: pastry, bakery, fast-food, snacks, ready-to-eat meals, nuts, seeds, soups, cereals, sauces, patties, among others. Between 2013 and 2015, 267 processed food samples were acquired in food chains and restaurants from Lisbon region (Portugal) and the salt content was quantified using Charpentier-Volhard method. High amounts of salt were quantified in the analysed processed foods, namely snacks, fast-food, patties, meals and bakery products. If we consider one portion of a curd cheese pie (193 g), the intake of salt can reach 45% of the recommended value. For snacks, regular portion size is 35 g. One portion of a salty snack can contribute with 31% of the salt recommended daily intake. Up to now food industry has developed efforts to decrease the salt content of some food products, namely bread. However, there still exist foods with high salt content and from a nutritional point of view this should be a priority area of intervention. The obtained results are an effective assessment of current salt content in foods which will be important for further reformulation strategies and to monitor progress in the next years.

Is there a health risk concerning the children´s consumption of cereal-based products? A cumulative mycotoxin risk assessment approach

Historically, the health risk of mycotoxins had been evaluated on the basis of single-chemical and single-exposure pathway scenarios. However, the co-contamination of foodstuffs with these compounds is being reported at an increasing rate and a multiple-exposure scenario for humans and vulnerable population groups as children is urgently needed. Cereals are among the first solid foods eaten by child and thus constitute an important food group of their diet. Few data are available relatively to early stages child´s exposure to mycotoxins through consumption of cereal-based foods. The present study aims to perform the cumulative risk assessment of mycotoxins present in a set of cereal-based foods including breakfast cereals (BC), processed cereal-based foods (PCBF) and biscuits (BT), consumed by children (1 to 3 years old, n=75) from Lisbon region, Portugal. Children food consumption and occurrence of 12 mycotoxins (aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, fumonisins and trichothecenes) in cereal-based foods were combined to estimate the mycotoxin daily intake, using deterministic and probabilistic approaches. Different strategies were used to treat the left censored data. For aflatoxins, as carcinogenic compounds, the margin of exposure (MoE) was calculated as a ratio of BMDL (benchmark dose lower confidence limit) and aflatoxin daily exposure. For the remaining mycotoxins, the output of exposure was compared to the dose reference values (TDI) in order to calculate the hazard quotients (HQ, ratio between exposure and a reference dose). The concentration addition (CA) concept was used for the cumulative risk assessment of multiple mycotoxins. The combined margin of exposure (MoET) and the hazard index (HI) were calculated for aflatoxins and the remaining mycotoxins, respectively. Main results revealed a significant health concern related to aflatoxins and especially aflatoxin M1 exposure according to the MoET and MoE values (below 10000), respectively. HQ and HI values for the remaining mycotoxins were below 1, revealing a low concern from a public health point of view. These are the first results on cumulative risk assessment of multiple mycotoxins present in cereal-based foods consumed by children. Considering the present results, more research studies are needed to provide the governmental regulatory bodies with data to develop an approach that contemplate the human exposure and, particularly, children, to multiple mycotoxins in food. The last issue is particularly important considering the potential synergistic effects that could occur between mycotoxins and its potential impact on human and, mainly, children health.