The Estrogenic Contaminants in Food and Its Detection Methods: A Systematic Review

Many compounds are known as estrogen contaminants. Estrogenic components may enter the body through food consumption. 

This systematic review aimed to determine various estrogens contaminants, the foods that are primarily contaminated with these compounds, and their common detection methods. 

The relevant studies with the keywords “estrogen,” “detection,” and “food” were systematically searched in PubMed and Scopus databases. Science Direct and Google Scholar were also searched.

A total of 221 studies were initially found regardless of publication time. The preliminary screening was based on the exclusion and inclusion criteria. Then, the qualitative evaluation of the articles was done, and finally, 9 articles were selected. Among different foods, most estrogenic compounds were identified in seafood. This finding indicates that estrogenic compounds have entered the waters. The most reported compound was bisphenol A. Cell culture was used for bioassay evaluation, and liquid chromatography methods were used for analysis. 

Both analytical and bioassay methods were used to evaluate estrogenic compounds. Most studies found that the bioassay method was also valid.