Levels and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in yerba mate and its infusions

The occurrence and the risk of exposure to acrylamide (AA), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in yerba mate leaves and infusions have been evaluated. The AA and HMF content have been examined for the first time, as most articles have focused only on PAHs occurrence or pro-healthy benefits of yerba mate. The results showed that acrylamide was detected in all samples, in the range 20-243 mu g/kg, with the significantly lower amounts in the samples from Paraguay, and the highest from Argentina. HMF was found in 26 samples of 30, up to 466 mg/kg. The infusion transfers of acrylamide and HMF were higher than 21%, reaching even 77%. The total PAH amount in the leaves varied from 289 to 10643 mu g/kg, and Sigma PAH4 13-1871 mu g/kg. The Brazilian samples contained significantly lower total PAH content than the Argentinian and Paraguayan samples. The transfer ratio from leaves to infusions was below 12 and 2.1% for total PAHs and PAH4. The results of multivariate method of analysis (Principal Component Analysis and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis) showed that yerba mate from Brazil and from Paraguay had their own specific features probably resulting from the method of thermal processing of the leaves. Finally, the calculated MOE values for all contaminants indicated a low level of concern for human health, which suggests that moderate consumption of yerba infusions should not pose a threat to human health.