J. Agric. Food Chem., 56 (2), 571–576, 2008. 10.1021/jf072479l
Web Release Date: December 12, 2007

This article not subject to U.S. Copyright. Published 2008 by the Americal Chemical Society.

Survey Results of Benzene in Soft Drinks and Other Beverages by Headspace Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

Patricia J. Nyman,*† Gregory W. Diachenko,† Gracia A. Perfetti,† Timothy P. McNeal,† Michael H. Hiatt,‡ and Kim M. Morehouse†

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, HFS-706, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, Maryland 20740, and National Exposure Research Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, P.O. Box 93478, Las Vegas, Nevada 89193-3478

Received August 17, 2007

Abstract:

Benzene, a carcinogen that can cause cancer in humans, may form at nanogram per gram levels in some beverages containing both benzoate salts and ascorbic or erythorbic acids. Through a series of reactions, a hydroxyl radical forms that can decarboxylate benzoate to form benzene. Elevated temperatures and light stimulate these reactions, while sugar and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) can inhibit them. A headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method for the determination of benzene in beverages was developed and validated. The method was used to conduct a survey of 199 soft drinks and other beverages. The vast majority of beverages sampled contained either no detectable benzene or levels below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking water limit of 5 ng/g. Beverages found to contain 5 ng/g benzene or more were reformulated by the manufacturers. The amount of benzene found in the reformulated beverages ranged from none detected to 1.1 ng/g.

Keywords: Benzene; beverages; headspace; gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

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