Glucose, fructose, sucrose, free asparagine, and free glutamine were analyzed in 74 potato samples from 17 potato cultivars grown in 2002 at various locations in Switzerland and different farming systems. The potential of these potatoes for acrylamide formation was measured with a standardized heat treatment. These potentials correlated well with the product of the concentrations of reducing sugars and asparagine. Glucose and fructose were found to determine acrylamide formation. The cultivars showed large differences in their potential of acrylamide formation which was primarily related to their sugar contents. Agricultural practice neither influenced sugars and free asparagine nor the potential of acrylamide formation. It is concluded that acrylamide contents in potato products can be substantially reduced primarily by selecting cultivars with low concentrations of reducing sugars.

Of 13 thermal printing papers analyzed, 11 contained 8-17 g/kg bisphenol A (BPA). When taking hold of a receipt consisting of thermal printing paper for 5 s, roughly 1 microg BPA (0.2-6 microg) was transferred to the forefinger and the middle finger if the skin was rather dry and about ten times more if these fingers were wet or very greasy. This amount transferred to dry skin was neither significantly increased when taking hold of the paper at up to 10 sites, nor reduced when BPA-free paper was contacted afterwards. After 60-90 min, BPA applied to the skin as a solution in ethanol was only partially or no longer at all extractable with ethanol, whereas BPA transferred to the skin by holding thermal printer paper remained largely extractable after 2 h. This suggests that penetration of the skin depends on the conditions. Extractability experiments did not enable us to conclude whether BPA passes through the skin, but indicated that it can enter the skin to such a depth that it can no longer be washed off. If this BPA ends up in the human metabolism, exposure of a person repeatedly touching thermal printer paper for 10 h/day, such as at a cash register, could reach 71 microg/day, which is 42 times less than the present tolerable daily intake (TDI). However, if more than just the finger pads contact the BPA-containing paper or a hand cream enhances permeability of the skin, this margin might be smaller.

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An online normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-gas chromatography (GC)-flame ionization detection (FID) method was developed for the determination of the total concentration of the aromatic hydrocarbons of mineral oil origin with up to at least five rings in edible oils and other foods. For some samples, the olefins in the food matrix were epoxidized to increase their polarity and remove them from the fraction of the aromatic hydrocarbons. This reaction was carefully optimized, because also some aromatics tend to react. To reach a detection limit of around 1 mg kg(-1) in edible oils, an off-line enrichment was introduced. Some foods contained elevated concentrations of white paraffin oils (free of aromatics), but the majority of the mineral oils detected in foods were of technical grade with 20-30% aromatic hydrocarbons. Many foods contained mineral aromatic hydrocarbons in excess of 1 mg kg(-1).

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the fate and effects of mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) in female Fischer 344 rats. Animals were fed control diet or diet containing various MOSH mixtures at concentrations ranging from 40 to 4000 mg/kg feed for up to 120 days. MOSH were analysed in liver, spleen, adipose tissue and remaining carcass at different sampling times. In addition to clinical effects, liver microgranulomas, hepatic inflammation, and disruption of the immune function were the main toxicological endpoints investigated. Arthritis symptoms were specifically studied in dark agouti rats. The results indicate that accumulation of MOSH depends on the mixture tested but always occurred predominantly in the liver and to a lesser extent in adipose tissue and spleen. Strong differences exist between liver and adipose tissue in terms of accumulated hydrocarbons: whereas in adipose tissue the accumulated fraction corresponds to the most volatile part of the administered mixture, in the liver, the most volatile as well as the highest boiling part of the mixture are almost absent. Also the types of hydrocarbons differ. When exposure ceases, a significant decrease of MOSH concentration was observed in the liver, but not in adipose tissue. MOSH exposure results in a significant increase in absolute and relative liver weights, the effect being dose-related, but also dependent on the mixture tested. There were large differences in the ability of the different mixtures to induce liver granulomas. The highest incidence was observed with the mixture containing the highest proportion of n-alkanes, suggesting that this fraction could play a significant role in the development of hepatic granulomas. No effects were found on the immune function, irrespective of the mixture or the dose tested.

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