Combined use of food preservatives in China and its theoretical cumulative risk assessment

Abstract

ObjectiveTo study the combined use of preservatives in food in China and to evaluate the intake level of common preservatives and their cumulative exposure risk.MethodsThe exposures of common preservatives were calculated by simple distribution assessment method based on the maximum allowable usage of preservatives of National Food Safety Standards the Use of Food Additives GB 2760—2014 and consumption data from the fifth Chinese Total Diet Study. The cumulative exposure risk was evaluated by the hazard index method （HI） based on the combined use of preservatives in Chinese food in the global new product database， the exposures and acceptable daily intake （ADI） of preservatives.Results43.36% of foods that use preservatives in China use two or more preservatives， the highest utilization rate is binary combination （31.78%）， with a maximum of 6 combinations. Consider only the population exposure risk of one preservative alone， the daily average exposure in the diet of the general population and the high food consumption group （P95） in sodium benzoate， potassium sorbate and sodium diacetate were lower than their corresponding ADI. The daily average exposure in the diet of the general population in nisin， sodium nitrate and sodium dehydroacetate were lower than their corresponding ADI， but the high food consumption group （P95） were higher than their corresponding ADI. Cumulative assessment shows that the average exposure of the most common binary and ternary preservative combinations in the general population has an HI of less than 1， but the mean value of HI of the most common quaternary and quintuple and the P95 of HI of binary， ternary， quaternary and quintuple preservative combinations in the general population has an HI of greater than 1. Cumulative assessment shows that the preservatives of common preservative combinations are used alone， and some individuals have the problem of excessive intake， but if used in combination， there may be 1.47~1.75 times the health risks of individuals.ConclusionFood preservatives are often used in combination in China. The cumulative exposure risk of the most common binary， ternary， quaternary， and quintuple preservative combinations has gradually increased. Cumulative assessment shows that the use of the most quaternary and quintuple preservative combinations has created health risks for some people， and practical usage of these preservatives should be monitored and more accurately evaluated. When the food additives with the same anticorrosive function are mixed， each of which accounted for the maximum use of their dosage should not exceed 1.

Keywords

• preservative
• combined use
• exposure assessment
• cumulative risk assessment
• food safety