RESUMO
Amaranth is a synthetic red azo dye approved in several countries such as Canada, Australia and Brazil, but banned in the United States. There are few studies evaluating the exposure of the general population to this food colouring substance, in Brazil, specifically, there are virtually no data on its intake. This study aimed to estimate the Theoretical Maximum Daily Intake (TMDI) of the Brazilian population and to quantify Amaranth in foods that contribute the most to its consumption. Data on the presence of Amaranth were correlated with consumption data from National Household Budget Surveys carried out in 2008/2009 and 2017/2018, among people aged ten or older. The results show that the mean TMDI (mg/day) of Amaranth does not exceed the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) in any population group, it, however, may get as high as 66% of the ADI among teenagers. For the TMDI balanced by the prevalence of food consumption, that is, considering consumers only (eaters only, rather than the population mean), results show that the amounts can exceed the ADI in all population groups studied. The intake of Amaranth is higher among the younger population (adolescents) reaching up to three times the ADI in the worst-case scenario. The food groups which contribute the most to the intake of Amaranth, are 'juices/artificial juices/reconstituted powdered juice mixes' and 'soft drinks'. Laboratory tests of powdered fruit mixes and soft drinks sold in the city of Porto Alegre (Brazil) show that 17 out of 20 samples tested exceeded the limit set by Brazilian regulations (5 mg/100 mL in the final product). Results show that the intake of Amaranth by the different Brazilian populations may pose a health hazard to several population groups.
Assuntos
Corantes de Alimentos , Adolescente , Brasil , Cor , Humanos , Nível de Efeito Adverso não Observado , Medição de Risco/métodosRESUMO
This study estimated the theoretical maximum daily intake (TMDI) of Sunset Yellow (SY) synthetic food dye by the Brazilian population through food consumption data from the Household Budget Survey (HBS) of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 2008/09). The study covered the population in urban and rural areas in the five regions of the country, and from different age groups, in order to verify if it were possible to exceed the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of SY, which is 4.0 mg kg-1 body weight. This was assessed by cross-checking food products containing this dye from the largest supermarket chains in Brazil with data from the HBS-IBGE 2008/09. These data showed that the average consumption of SY per capita did not exceed the ADI in any of the aforementioned population groups. However, when considering food consumption in urban and rural areas (279 and 260 mg of SY day-1), in the five regions of the country (260-338 mg of SY day-1), and for adolescents (332 mg SY day-1), it is noted that part of the population could be exceeding the recommended ADI, which may pose health risks. Although it is unlikely that individuals will exceed the SY ADI, this may occur in some cases, especially for younger people.