5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) Content of Different Food Groups in Turkey

5-HMF is a compound which forms in Maillard reaction and from degradation of sugar under acidic conditions (caramelisation). In literature, it was reported that high concentration of 5-HMF is cytotoxic, irritating to eyes, skin and mucous membranes. In addition, carcinogenic activity of 5-HMF has also been speculated. By considering these harmful effects of 5-HMF, in this study, it was aimed at determination of 5-HMF content of the different food groups such as dairy products (cheese, ice creams), meat products (sausage, salami), cereal products (biscuits, cakes, chocolates, chips), food powders (soup, dessert, hot chocolate, cappuccino), carbonated beverages and different types of Turkish delights. The 5-HMF content of cheese, sausage, salami, chips, soups, desserts, hot chocolate and carbonated beverages were lower than 5.0 ppm. It was found that the 5-HMF content of the products including caramel was very high when compared with the other samples. The 5-HMF level of icecream, biscuits and chocolates including caramel were in the range of 14.3–432.6 ppm, 10.0–52.1 ppm and 14.6–34.6 ppm, respectively. The 5-HMF content of traditional Turkish delights changed between 12.4–181.6 ppm. As a result of this study, it was seen that the 5-HMF content of the samples showed high diversity between many different food groups. This diversity of 5-HMF level in these food groups may be resulted from different processing and formulation. The level of the 5-HMF in these foods should be considered by food standard agency