Estimate of intake of benzoic acid in the Belgian adult population

Abstract

An exposure assessment was performed to estimate average daily benzoic acid intake for Belgian adults. Food consumption data were retrieved from the national food-consumption survey. As a first step, individual food-consumption data were multiplied with the maximum permitted use levels for benzoic acid per food group (Tier 2). As a second step, a label survey to identify the foods where benzoic acid is effectively used as an additive and a literature review of the possible occurrence of benzoic acid as a natural substance were performed. With this information, a refined list of foods was drafted for the quantification of benzoic acid, which was performed by a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method, optimized and validated for this purpose. Individual food-consumption data were then multiplied with the actual average concentrations of benzoic acid per food group (Tier 3). Usual intakes were calculated using the Nusser method. The mean benzoic acid intake was 1.58 mg kg⁻¹ body weight day⁻¹ (Tier 2) and 1.25 mg kg⁻¹ body weight day⁻¹ (Tier 3). In Tier 2, men exceeded the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 5 mg kg⁻¹ body weight day⁻¹ at the 99th percentile. The greatest contributors to the benzoic acid intake were soft drinks. Benzoic acid as a natural substance represents only a small percentage of the total intake. The results show that actual benzoic acid intake is very likely to be below the ADI. However, there is a need to collect national food-consumption data for children as they might be more vulnerable to an excessive intake.

Keywords:

• chromatographic analysis
• chromatography – high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
• exposure assessment
• additives general
• food consumption survey

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the work of the fieldwork team of the food consumption survey: Stéphanie De Vriese and Michel Moreau, and the dietary support from Mia Bellemans, Mieke De Maeyer, Kadija El Moumni, and Davy Van Steenkiste. Special thanks are given to the respondents and the dieticians who worked during the fieldwork. The members of the Steering Committee (Leen Rasschaert and Charles Cremer) are greatly acknowledged for their scientific advice. The survey was funded by the Federal Ministry of Health, Food Chain and Environment.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.