Development and validation of analytical methods for the determination of processing contaminants and agrochemical residues in baby foods

Abstract

Currently, it has been observed a huge variety of food products for infants. Baby foods are mainly composed by fruits, cereals, meats, and milk, which are susceptible to the presence of agrochemical residues and contaminants formed during the thermal processing. Thus, the occurrence of these compounds in baby foods has drawn researchers and regulatory authorities' attention to the toxicity and vulnerability of this group of consumers. In this context, analytical methods will be developed to determine thirty agrochemicals residues from different chemical classes in baby food as well as processing contaminants such as acrylamide, 5- hydroxymethylfurfural, 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Sample preparation techniques will be developed and optimized in order to reduce the consumption of reagents and organic solvents and the generation of chemical residues. Those sample preparation techniques will be coupled to gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry. We expect that the results obtained could support the regulatory authorities regarding to the definition of maximum limits for contaminants in baby foods, which is non-existent in Brazil yet. In this way, these results may help to guarantee infant foods quality and safety. (AU)