ABSTRACT
The presence of 3- and 2-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3- and 2-MCPDE) and glycidyl esters (GE) in lipid-food products has increasingly become a concern worldwide. These esters are hydrolyzed in the gastrointestinal tract and are potentially carcinogenic. These contaminants are formed during the refining process of crude palm oil whereby lipids such as triacylglycerols and diacylglycerols react with the chlorides at high temperatures. This severe deodorization promotes the formation of 3-MCPDE and GE. Analytical methods include the conversion of the individual fatty acid esters, followed by the derivatization of analytes before gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) following the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) Official Method Cd 29a-13. The aim of this chapter is to compile the surveillance data of 3- and 2-MCPD and glycidol in selected processed foods available in the literature. The data showed that the mean concentration of compounds in edible oils, infant formula, bakery products, cereals, fish and fish products, meat and meat products, margarine and spreads, snacks, soy sauces, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) ranged from 0.006 to 10.00 mg/kg for 3- and 2-MCPD and 0.0023 to 18.00 mg/kg for glycidol. Health risk estimation revealed that residues of 3- and 2-MCPDE found in these foods exceeded the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of 2 µg/kg body weight per day which suggests a great potential for chronic toxicity to consumers.
