Contamination Levels and Congener Distributions of PCDDs, PCDFs and Co-PCBs in Several Fast Foods in Japan

• Published in: Food Hygiene and Safety Science (Shokuhin Eiseigaku Zasshi) Vol. 44; no. 6; pp. 316 - 320
• Main Authors: AMAKURA, Yoshiaki, TSUTSUMI, Tomoaki, SASAKI, Kumiko, MAITANI, Tamio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Japanese Society for Food Hygiene and Safety 01.12.2003
• Subjects: Adult; Animals; Benzofurans - analysis; Cattle; Chickens; coplanar PCB; dioxin; fast food; Food Contamination - analysis; Humans; Japan; Meat - analysis; PCDD; PCDF; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - analysis; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analogs & derivatives; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analysis; Restaurants; Solanum tuberosum - chemistry
• ISSN: 0015-6426; 1882-1006
• DOI: 10.3358/shokueishi.44.316

We determined the concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (Co-PCBs) in three types of fast foods [(1) seventeen hamburgers and two hot dogs, (2) six portions of fried potatoes and (3) three chicken products] obtained from fast food shops or convenience stores in Japan. All samples tested showed low toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) levels of dioxins in the range of 0.001-0.083 pg-TEQ/g wet weight (0.006-0.053 pg-TEQ/g for hamburgers and hot dogs, 0.001-0.083 pg-TEQ/g for fried potatoes and 0.053-0.065 pg-TEQ/g for chicken products). The congener profile in hamburgers and hot dogs suggested that the total TEQ was mainly determined by Co-PCBs, especially by 3,3',4,4',5-PeCB (#126), which accounted for 44% of the total TEQ value. Findings for animal foods such as beef and cheese were consistent with this result. For fried potatoes, PCDD/Fs accounted for 94% of the total TEQ value, and 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF accounted for 32% of PCDD/Fs. Dioxins in the chicken products consisted of 3,3',4,4',5-PeCB (#126) and 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, which accounted for 23% and 21% of the total TEQ, respectively. If an adult (50 kg weight) eats 150 g of hamburger, 100 g of potatoes and 150 g of chicken, the daily intake is estimated to be 0.299 pg-TEQ/kg b.w./day using the average values (0.022, 0.028 and 0.059 pg-TEQ/g, respectively) obtained in this study. This value corresponds to 7.5% of the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for PCDD/Fs and Co-PCBs in Japan.