Occurrence and exposure assessment of erythritol from distributed foods in Korea

Given the increasing concerns regarding the safety of sugar alcohols such as erythritol, this study quantified erythritol concentrations in commonly consumed processed foods in Korea and assessed dietary exposure by age and gender. A total of 110 products were analyzed using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography method with ultraviolet detection. The method showed linearity (R² = 0.9999), a limit of detection of 0.01 mg/kg, and recovery rates of 81.38–108.08%. Erythritol concentrations ranged from 47.50 to 81,688.95 mg/kg, with the highest level observed in ice milk mix. Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) was calculated using national dietary survey data and compared with the acceptable daily intake of 0.5 g/kg body weight/day established by the European Food Safety Authority. The mean EDI was 13.84 mg/kg body weight/day (2.77% of Acceptable Daily Intake, ADI), indicating that erythritol intake in the Korean population is within safe limits.