Determination of sulfite in dried fruits in relation to consumer health risk assessment / Ain Najihah Kamaruzaman

Sulphur dioxide are belong to the group known as sulphiting agents that widely used in food products as a preservatives. These studies have majorly focused on the concentration of sulphites in dried fruits and the relation to consumer health risk assessment. Three types of dried fruits which are apricots, raisins and dates were chosen to be the samples in this study. The results indicated that the bulk dried fruits apricots, raisins and dates have higher concentration of sulphites compared to packaged dried fruits. The mean concentration for those three types of dried fruits sold in bulk were 1230.0 mg/kg, 1228.6 mg/kg and 1218.8 mg/kg, respectively. The reason of this difference may be the rate of sulphur dioxide (SO2) loss depends on food product composition as well as storage temperature. Apricots with the highest sulphites concentration in bulk dried fruits also have the highest ratio of Hazard Index (HI) which is > 10. The estimated daily intake (EDI) for children also higher than adults, therefore, Hazard Index (HI) also higher in ratio. Children were the most vulnerable group compare to adult. Consumer who have allergies for sulphites should reduce the intake of dried fruits according to the guideline of dietary intake in food products. Thus, continuous monitoring and stricter regulation of sulfites using in food products should be enforced.