Contamination and Distribution of Organophosphate Esters in Food: A Meta-Analysis and Principal Component Analysis

Abstract

Organophosphate ester (OPE) contamination poses a major threat to food safety. However, the levels and patterns of OPE contamination in various foods remain unclarified. This study solved this problem by conducting a meta-analysis and principal component analysis (PCA), of 23 articles containing a total of 14,939 data points on OPEs in food. Our findings revealed that there are particularly high concentrations of some OPEs in certain foods (e.g., high concentrations of TIBP in fish products, TMPP in meat products). PCA identified the main types of OPE residues in different categories of food, such as TEHP in vegetables and TDCIPP in dairy products. Moreover, an analysis of processed and unprocessed foods revealed the impact of processing on the main types of OPE residues in food. These results highlight the need for regulatory authorities to focus on OPE contamination in food and set OPE standards to guarantee food safety.

Keywords: organophosphate esters, Meta-analysis, principal component analysis, food