Abstract
Fifty samples of apple juices were investigated for patulin levels using HPLC with UV detection. It was found that 38 (76? samples contained no detectable patulin (LOD = 7.5 µg l−1), but some samples had high patulin levels (845 µg l−1) compared to other branded mixed juices (21–70 µg l−1) and apple juices procured from local vendors (191 µg l−1). The survey provides evidence of a need to educate the apple-juice industry in the use of good quality apples for juice production. In addition, the levels of patulin found showed a saturation of the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) based on intake figures in terms of an average and 90th percentile of 27–60% and 107–190%, respectively, in different age groups. This monitoring study may help in formulating guidelines for patulin levels, which are not yet implemented by Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act of India.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Director of our Institute for his keen interest in this present study. NS thanks the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)/University grants commission, New Delhi, for the award of Senior Research Fellowship. We gratefully acknowledge Central Drug Research Institute and ABI Biosystems, Gurgaon, India, for providing LC/MS–MS facility. Financial assistance from CSIR Network project NWP 17 and DST project is gratefully acknowledged. The manuscript is IITR Communication # 2544.