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Measurements of the concentrations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in samples of infant formulae and baby foods

Project Code: C02047

14/01/2005

Central Science Laboratory
White, S ; Fernandes, A; Rose, M

1. Based on FSA approved sampling plans drawn up by Ventress Technical Services and Leatherhead Food International [1, 2], and constructed to reflect factors such as market share, leading brands, popular product categories and intended age range, the following products were investigated for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content: 106 baby food samples collected from 2 UK regions during May and June 2003, 96 samples of infant formulae collected from 6 UK regions during April and May 2003 and 5 ready to feed infant formulae samples collected during September 2004. They were analysed for the following 15 PAHs prioritised by the Scientific committee on Food (SCF) [3]; benz(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(j)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, cyclopenta(c,d)pyrene, indeno(123cd)pyrene, dibenzo(ah)anthracene, benzo(ghi)perylene, dibenzo(al)pyrene, dibenzo(ae)pyrene, dibenzo(ai)pyrene, dibenzo(ah)pyrene, and the metabolite, 5-methylchrysene

2. The reporting limit applied was generally the limit of determination which prevailed in each instance. Where possible, a target limit of detection of 0.01 μg/kg was imposed - i.e. results below that value were reported as <0.01 μg/kg.

3. All results presented in this report are expressed on a whole weight (product as sold) basis.

4. The range of benzo[a]pyrene results for each of infant formulae and baby food groups is given in the table below.

                                         Infant Formulae Baby Food
ug/kg product as sold min     max         min     max
benzo[a]pyrene             <0.01 0.18      <0.01   f1.01

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