Risk of Exposure to Steviol Glycosides Through Consumption of Foods and Beverages: A Survey of the Thai Population

Abstract

This study aimed to assess dietary exposure to steviol glycosides and identify the key contributors to the exposure in the Thai population. In total, 2114 participants were included in this study, and a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire and a photobook of foods and beverages were used to collect their food consumption data. In addition, the body weight data of the participants were recorded, and a survey was conducted to obtain information regarding their consumption of foods and beverages that contain steviol glycosides, including data on the amount consumed and the frequency of intake. The amount of steviol glycosides in the foods and beverages was determined using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. We used data on the mean and 97.5th percentile (PCTL) consumption of food or beverages for both the per capita and consumer-only scenarios to estimate the dietary intake of steviol glycosides from consumption of food and beverages. The risk of steviol glycoside exposure was evaluated using the hazard quotient, which involved a comparison of the estimated dietary intake with the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of steviol equivalents (4 mg/kg BW/day). Children aged 3–9 years had the highest mean and 97.5th PCTL intake per capita, which accounted for 2.35% and 22.95% of the ADI, respectively. The results of this study demonstrate that the estimated intake of steviol glycosides by the Thai population across all scenarios and age groups is below the ADI, indicating that foods and beverages that contain steviol glycosides do not pose a risk to the Thai population. Nevertheless, the top three contributors to the intake of steviol glycosides, which are products in categories 14 (beverages), 11 (sweeteners), and 1 (dairy products and analogues), should be consumed cautiously.