On the usage of Tartrazine (e102) in certain food products and estimation of potential daily intake

Abstract

The inclusion rate of the synthetic food dye Tartrazine E102 in 6 products from 2 categories of food products - ”Fresh, non-alcoholic and flavored beverages - sodas,” and ”Snacks and nuts with salted crust” was studied using the photo-colorimetric method. The acquired data served to estimate the hypothetic daily intake of this additive, in relationship with the Romanians’ consumption habits. The results revealed that: inclusion rate in “Multi-fruit soda” product was 87.2-88.5% lower than the maximum residual admitted level (20 mg/liter product); daily intake level through a portion of “Multi-fruit soda” (500 ml in adults and 200 ml in children) reached 1.28-1.42% of the maximum tolerated doze in children, respectively 0.96-1.39 % of it in adults; tartrazine inclusion rate in “Cheese snack” product was 34.0-47.2% lower than the maximum residual admitted level (100 mg/kg product); calculation of the daily intake through one portion of “Cheese snack” (120 g in adults and 50 g in children) reached 1.17-1.47% of the maximum tolerated doze in children and 1.06-1.47% in adults. Despite the fact that inclusion levels and intake values have not been exceeded, the cumulative effect should be considered when multiple food products containing tartrazine are consumed, knowing this additive is one of the most incriminated factors in the onset of allergenic and irritating conditions in adults, respectively of attention deficit and hyperactivity syndrome in children.