Monitoring of Illegally Added Compounds and Drugs in Foods: Prohibited Ingredients

Introduction: Illegally added compounds and drugs have been detected in general or functional foods. Especially, unknown compounds with the modified chemical structure similar to that of anti-impotence drugs, such as tadalafil, and anti-obesity drugs, such as sibutramine, were frequently detected in various foodstuffs.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to monitor illegally added compounds and drugs in foods to ensure food safety.

Methods: We monitored 70 food items advertised as slimming products or sexual enhancement products in offline and online markets. Samples (1-10 g) were dissolved in methanol (MeOH) and sonicated for 30 min. The MeOH solvent was filtered using 0.2 micron syringe filter and, then, analysed for 73 illegal compounds using LC/PDA and confirmed with LC/MS/MS.

Results:  Analyses of 73 illegal compounds including anti-impotence drugs, anti-obesity drugs, and their analogs were achieved using LC/PDA and confirmed with LC/MS/MS. Tadalafil, icariin, fluoxetine, or sibutramine was detected in 10 food items ranging from 21.20~218.64 mg/g, 0.15~0.23 mg/g, 30.71~52.72 mg/g, and 27.60 mg/g, respectively.These results indicated that sustainable monitoring of illegal compounds in various foodstuffs is required for the safety management.

Significance:   The results of this study will contribute to reinforcement the food safety management system by preventing the distribution of foods containing illegal compounds.