Comparison of two methods to assess the intake of flavouring substances

It is important to assess the intake of flavouring substances in order to b e confident that exposure to the substance from its intended use presents n o significant risk. A number of methods exist to estimate intake of food in gredients. Two such methods, one using a detailed dietary analysis based on food consumption and composition and one using 10 times the annual volume of use on a per capita basis (per capita x 10), were compared for their pre cision and practicality in assessing the intake of 10 flavouring substances . The detailed dietary analysis method of determining exposure resulted in good estimates of the distribution of intakes across the population, as wel l as patterns of intake of individuals. This method is both expensive and l abour intensive. The per capita x 10 method yields results that, compared w ith those obtained by detailed dietary analysis, tend consistently to overs tate exposure. Thus, this method is a conservative and practical approach t o assessing exposure to flavouring substances and other food ingredients.