Residue analyses and exposure assessment of the Irish population to nitrofuran metabolites from different food commodities in 2009–2010

摘要

An exposure assessment to nitrofuran residues was performed for three human populations (adults, teenagers and children),based on residue analyses of foods of animal origin (liver, honey, eggs and aquaculture) covering the 2-year period 2009–2010. The occurrence of nitrofuran metabolites in food on the Irish market was determined for the selected period using thedata from Ireland’s National Food Residue Database (NFRD) and from results obtained from the analysis of retail samples(aquaculture and honey). Laboratory analyses of residues were performed by methods validated in accordance withCommission Decision 2002/657/EC regarding performance of the analytical method and interpretation of results.Semicarbazide (SEM) was the contaminant most frequently identified and its content ranged from 0.09 to 1.27 μg kg−1.SEM is currently used as a marker of nitrofuran abuse, but it may also occur from other sources. The presence of nitrofuranmetabolite 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ) was detected in two aquaculture samples (prawns) at 1.63 and 1.14 μg kg−1, butsuch a low number of positive cases did not present sufficient data for a full AOZ exposure assessment. Therefore, theevaluation of exposure was focused on SEM-containing food groups only. Exposure assessments were completed using aprobabilistic approach that generated 10 iterations. The results of both the upper- and lower-bound exposure assessmentsdemonstrate that SEM exposure for Irish adults, teenagers and children from selected food commodities are well belowEFSA-estimated safe levels.