Analysis of furan and methylfurans

New monitoring recommendation calls for investigation of certain foodstuffs

June 2022. In March 2022, the European Commission published a recommendation on monitoring the presence of furan and alkylfurans in food with its Recommendation (EU) 2022/495^[1]. Recommended is the analysis of furan, 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran and optionally other alkylfurans in food, in particular:

coffee
baby food in jars as well as containers, tubes and pouches
ready-to-eat soups
potato crisps
fruit juices
breakfast cereals
biscuits, crackers and crispbread

Our competence centre for Organic Contaminants offers you the analysis in all relevant food matrices.

Formation and occurence of furan and alkylfurans

Similar to acrylamide, furan is a process contaminant which evolves within the production and preparation of food during thermal processing (sterilising, roasting, baking etc.). So far, reducing sugars, amino acids, ascorbic acid, unsaturated fatty acids and carotenoids have been identified as possible precursors. The formation of furan is relevant e.g. in roasted coffee, canned and jarred food including baby food, baked goods, cereals and crackers.

2- and 3-methylfuran as well as 2,5-dimethylfuran are also formed during heat treatment of food and can co-occur with furan. Other alkylfurans such as 2-pentylfuran and 2-ethylfuran have also been reported recently in the literature.

Due to the high volatility of furan and methylfurans, levels may also decrease again during processing, thus heating and processing conditions are crucial.

Toxicological evaluation of furan and alkylfurans

Based on animal studies it is concluded that consumer exposure to furan and methylfurans from food may lead to longterm liver damage. In October 2017, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a Scientific Opinion on the "Risks for public health related to the presence of furan and methylfurans in food" on behalf of the European Commission^[2]. More than 17,000 analytical results on furan were used in this evaluation.

No occurrence data on methylfurans or other alkylfurans were available in this data collection. However, it is known from the literature that the ratio of furan to methylfurans depends on the food matrix and the specific methyl analogue.

While coffee is the major contributor to adults’ exposure to furan, jarred baby food plays a crucial role for infants. Cereal (products) also contribute to the exposure of different age groups to furan. However, according to EFSA more data is needed for a more comprehensive assessment.

Analysis of furan and alkylfurans

Our experts from the Competence Centre for Organic Contaminants have many years of experience with the headspace GC-MS analysis of furan, 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran. This covers all analyses recommended by EFSA as mandatory for furan and methylfuran in the above-mentioned food matrices.

Contact us

Do you have questions about the analysis of furan and methylfurans? Contact your personal account manager or our expert Stefanie Merkmann.

Relevante Quellen:

[1] Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/495 on monitoring the presence of furan and alkylfurans in food
[2] EFSA Journal 2017;15(10):5005 Risks for public health related to the presence of furan and methylfurans in food