posted on 2024-02-24, 16:10authored byAlena Schöpf, Claudia Oellig
Carotenoids have been analyzed for their ability to form
furan
and furan derivatives, a group of processing contaminants, using a
previously developed headspace-solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-tandem
mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC–MS/MS) method. All tested carotenoids,
β-carotene, canthaxanthin, apocarotenal, zeaxanthin, and lycopene,
showed a high formation of furan (92.7–447 μmol/mol)
and especially of the methylated derivatives 2-methylfuran (2-MF,
299–1032 μmol/mol) and 3-methylfuran (3-MF, 996–2082
μmol/mol) after heating for 20 min at 120 °C in model systems
(phosphate buffer, pH 7). Additionally, the derivatives 3-furaldehyde
(3-FA), 2-acetylfuran (2-AF), and 2,5-dimethylfuran (2,5-DMF) were
detected (up to 472 μmol/mol). Furan formation obtained from
β-carotene leveled off at 140 °C with a heating time of
20 min and after 15 min with a heating temperature of 120 °C,
differing in absolute contents. All tested furan derivatives could
be detected in different heat-treated food products, e.g., vegetable
puree and strained tomatoes, with furan contents of 0.62–3.79
μg/100 g.