2011 Volume 18 Issue 3 Pages 150-162
Daily intakes of food additives such as sweeteners, preservatives, colors, antioxidants, fungicides, and food manufacturing agents for adults aged 20 and over in Japan were estimated using the market basket method. A list of daily consumption of processed foods was prepared based on the National Nutrition Survey (2001-2002) and the National Health and Nutrition Survey (2003). The food additive with the highest daily intake was D-sorbitol (452mg), followed by orthophosphoric acid (221mg as P), and D-mannitol (92mg). They are normally present as natural constituents in foodstuffs. On the other hand, the highest daily intakes of food additives which are not normally present as natural constituents in foodstuffs were propylene glycol (13.7mg), followed by condensed phosphate (12.0mg as P), and sorbic acid (6.36mg). The ADI set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) were compared with the estimated daily intakes of food additives in adults aged 20 and over. The highest level of the ratio of daily intake to the ADI was that of tocopherol (17.2%), followed by phosphorus compounds at 6.7% (ratio to MTDI of P), and propylene glycol at 1.1%. The estimated daily intakes of food additives examined in this study were far below the ADI. The results suggest that the daily intakes of the food additives in the consumption of daily foodstuffs are within safe ranges in Japan.
