(160q) Determination of Furanic Compounds from Thermally Processed South African Indigenous Food By GC FID and Their Nutritional Analysis

Processing of food by direct exposure to heat is a good method for killing harmful bacteria but unfortunately the process of heating might also lead to the formation of toxic furan compounds. Reaction pathways including cleavage of sugars and starch present in food have been reported to lead to formation of furan derivatives. The main danger about these types of food (thermally processed foods) is that they are never tested for toxins after preparation, but rather are readily consumed. Therefore, humans are exposed to furanic compounds through the ingestion of foods that have undergone heat treatment as part of the preparation approach in both industrial field and domestic cooking, but the concentrations of such compounds depend on different parameters used by each field. Several studies have been conducted to quantitatively determine the occurrence of furan in different foods using various techniques. However, no information has yet been reported for indigenous South African foods like Amasonja (Mopani worms). The current study seeks to develop an analytical method for the determination of furan compounds in Mopani worms, sweet corn and roasted peanuts. The selected foods are all prepared by direct exposure to heat and that might lead to production of toxic furan compounds and possibly posing health risks to consumers.