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Food contaminated by furan: what are the risks?
11/29/13

The two foodstuffs with the highest levels of furan are roasted coffee and small jars of baby food! “Purees and stewed fruit for babies are produced in a controlled atmosphere to prevent against bacterial proliferation”, explains Georges Scholl, head of the Contaminants unit at the Center for Analytical Research and Technology (CART) at ULg. This method of preparation keeps the furan in the food. “, Any kind of food that is cooked or roasted may contain high levels of furan, especially when foods are sealed in airtightened packaging” continues Georges Scholl.

A narcotic and genotoxic substance

Furan was added to the list of compounds classed as possibly carcinogenic based on toxicological studies performed on rats. “Toxicologists highlighted that rats exposed to furan have developed cancers, such as cholangiocarcinomas and liver cancers”, points out Georges Scholl.  “In high concentrations, furan is narcotic and at lower concentrations it is genotoxic, the researcher continues. In background exposure the scientist is referring specifically to quantities of furan ingested over a long period of time during normal long-term consumption of various “contaminated” foods. In reality, it is not the furan molecule itself that causes the problem but rather its major metabolite produced in the liver.

In order to assess the exposure of the Belgian public to furan, Georges Scholl, supervised by Professors Gauthier Eppe and Edwin De Pauw (CART), Professor Claude Saegerman (Unit for Epidemiology Research and Analysis of Risks applied to veterinary sciences, UREAR-ULg), developed sensitive analytical methods able to measure very small levels of furan in food. The scientists also conducted a sampling plan of foodstuffs covering the entire country.  “We tested more than 500 samples taken between the Belgian coast and Arlon in order to define the levels of furan in the different types of foodstuffs” explains Georges Scholl. “Based on data  consumption habits we were able to determine the average level of exposure for the Belgian population”. According to the results obtained, the levels of exposure to furan in Belgium are slightly higher than the European average.

Ready-to-eat baby foods are not popular in Belgium

Petit potOverall, the results are somewhat reassuring. Exposure estimates were presented per age class toddlers, children and adults. Concerning adults, the researchers divided the Belgian population into three categories linked to the quantity of furan ingested: high risk, low risk and questionable risk. “Analysis of our data revealed that in Belgium no ones is in the high-risk category, around 10% of the population is in the low-risk category and 90% in the category where risk is questionable”, explains Georges Scholl. This study also shows that coffee consumption contributes greatly to exposure and risk of contamination by furan. Drinking one cup of coffee more or less on a daily basis can increase or reduce the quantity of furan ingested by up to 20% in a single day!

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