Assessment of phthalate esters in packaged fruit juices sold in the Turkish market and their implications on human health risk

The objective of this study was to analyze the concentration of PAEs and conduct a risk assessment focusing on their potential non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic effects as endocrine-disrupting chemicals. In this research, a method of quantifying eight PAEs in fruit juice samples was established through the utilization of dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) and Liquid Chromatography coupled with Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). While he method recoveries for the samples ranged from 92.21 % to 96.74 %, the RSDs for the eight analytes in the samples ranged from 4.22 % to 6.64 %. Additionally, LODs ranging from 0.34 to 1.88 ng/mL and LOQs ranging from 1.17 to 6.27 ng/mL were determined. Utilizing this methodology, the assessment of PAE concentrations was carried out in 48 fruit juice samples. The results showed that PAEs were detectable in the fruit juice samples, but all tested compounds remained below the specific migration limits set by the EU (30 mg/kg for BBP, 1.5 mg/kg for DEHP, 0.3 mg/kg for DBP, and 9 mg/kg for DINP and DIDP). Among the analyzed PAEs, DINP (26.94 ± 3.25 ng/mL), DEP (7.07 ± 7.59 ng/mL), and DEHP (3.48 ± 1.02 ng/mL) were found to be the most prevalent plasticizers in the fruit juices. Health risk assessments were conducted by calculating Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Index (HI) values based on the consumption patterns of different age groups. The findings indicated that the values for DEHP, DINP, DEP, and DBP were all below 1, indicating negligible non-carcinogenic health risks associated with the consumption of fruit juices across all age groups. Moreover, the dietary intake levels of each PAE were found to be below the values established by the EFSA for TDI.