Essential and non-essential/toxic elements in rice available in the Portuguese and Spanish markets

Eighty-six rice samples, representing the most common rice brands sold in Portuguese and Spanish markets (either locally produced or imported), were analyzed for their content of 35 essential and non-essential/toxic elements using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The mean content of essential elements was: 1189 mg/kg (P), 746 mg/kg (K), 294 mg/kg (Mg), 84.7 mg/kg (Ca), 13.3 mg/kg (Zn), 8.8 mg/kg (Na), 8.3 mg/kg (Mn), 7.5 mg/kg (Fe), 1.9 mg/kg (Cu), 0.55 mg/kg (Mo), 0.18 mg/kg (Se) and 0.12 mg/kg (Co). However, significant differences exist between the different types of rice, with brown rice showing the highest content of most essential elements. The daily intake of essential elements resulting from the average Iberian (Portugal and Spain) per capita consumption of rice was calculated and its contribution to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) or Adequate Intake (AI) was estimated. Data showed that rice can be an important dietary source of P, Zn, Mn, Cu, Mo and Se but does not significantly contribute to the daily dietary intake of Ca, Na and Fe. The content of toxic elements was very low, indicating that rice can be regarded as a very safe food.     

Essential and non-essential/toxic trace elements in whey protein supplements

Twenty-six (26) trace elements (essential and non-essential/toxic) were determined in 49 whey protein (WP) supplements available for sale in the Portuguese market by inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry. The most abundant essential trace element was Fe (13.7 ± 16.7 μg/g) and the least abundant was Co (0.040 ± 0.028 μg/g). The estimated daily intake was calculated and, considering a daily consumption of 50 g of WP supplement, on average, 100 % of the recommended dietary allowance for Mo and ca. 40 % for Se is met. A safety assessment was also performed based on the Permitted Daily Exposure limits settled by the USP, general chapter <2232> . The daily consumption of 50 g of WP supplement does not contribute for more than 12.1 % (Cd) of those limits, as regards As, Cd, Pb and Hg. Thus, WP supplements can be considered safe products, regarding the presence of potentially toxic elements.     

Estimating the daily intake of essential and nonessential elements from lamb m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum consumed by the population in Missouri (United States)

This paper estimated the daily intake of essential and nonessential elements from lamb muscle longissimus thoracis et lumborum (m. LTL) available to the population in Missouri. Missouri grain-finished (n = 36), Missouri grass-finished (n = 40) and imported New Zealand grass-finished (n = 40) lamb m. LTL were purchased and assayed for their element composition. Total mercury in samples was quantified by atomic absorption spectrometry and other elements were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Analysis of certified reference materials (DORM-2 and TORT-2) gave recovery rates ranging from 86 to 108% and 85 to 104%, respectively. The abundance of essential elements in Missouri grain-finished and Missouri grass-finished lamb m. LTL followed the order: Potassium > phosphorus > sodium > magnesium > calcium > zinc > iron. The order in the imported New Zealand grass-finished group was: Potassium > phosphorus > sodium > calcium > magnesium > zinc > iron. Since many variables lacked normality, non-parametric (Kruskal–Wallis) comparison test was performed and the results suggested no significant difference (P > 0.05) in element composition among the lamb m. LTL groups. The estimated daily intake of 14 elements from consumption of 100 g lamb m. LTL posed no hazard to consumers.     

Peanut traces in packaged food products consumed by allergic individuals: Results of the MIRABEL project

In the frame of the French research project MIRABEL, 899 food samples which contained no peanut ingredients according to the labeling list were analyzed for the presence of peanut allergen traces. Samples covered a broad range of products from ten major food categories. In a stepwise procedure, samples were screened using a sensitive lateral flow assay with a limit of detection of 2 ppm total peanut or 0.5 ppm peanut protein. Positive as well as suspect samples (139/899) were confirmed by real-time PCR with the same sensitivity. Positives in both approaches were quantified by two different commercial ELISA tests. 1% (9/899) out of all samples did contain measurable peanut DNA and protein traces above the detection limit of the applied methods. Six samples had a content of total peanut protein <5 mg/kg, two samples contained between 8 and 10 mg/kg and one sample a maximum of about 20 mg/kg. An excellent correlation was found between Ct-values obtained by PCR and ppm peanut calculated by ELISA. It is concluded that, in the light of future thresholds for labeling of relevant allergens, the methods used for peanut detection in this study are able to detect contaminations as low as 2 ppm.     

Assessment of nitrate,nitrite and chloride in selected cured meat products and their exposure to school children in Brunei Darussalam

The readily available, good taste and easy to prepare cured meat products have become a prominent feature in children’s diet, leading to possible overconsumption of certain food additives. In this study, amount of nitrite, nitrate and salt, with mean values of 12.8 mg/kg, 20.2 mg/kg and 0.94 g/100 g, respectively and their intake from consumption of cured meat products (sausages, salamis, meatloaves and meatballs), were estimated for 2339 school children. The estimated salt intake for overall children was 0.53–1.01 g/day, where none of the children’s salt intake exceeded their age group’s Tolerable Upper Intake level. While the average estimated intake of nitrate and nitrite were at 0.08 mg/kg b.w/day and 0.05 mg/kg b.w/day, respectively. Based on the above estimation, ∼20% of the total children exceeded the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of nitrite of 0.07 mg/kg b.w/day while none of the children exceeded the ADI of nitrate of 3.7 mg/kg b.w/day.     

Selenium,zinc and copper in the Polish diet

The aim of the study was to assess daily dietary intakes of selenium (Se), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) in a representative group of Polish individuals using analytical and calculation method, and to determine the contents of Zn and Cu in different foodstuffs available on the Polish market, in order to complete our previous data on Se content in Polish food. Daily intakes of the microelements were assessed analytically in 469 daily food rations, 439 of which were collected from various public canteens and 30 by duplicate portion method from private individuals. Calculated daily intakes were obtained by analysing 157 diet recalls and by the use of our previous and current data on Se, Zn and Cu contents in food, including 235 different food products. Mean intakes in different groups, as shown analytically, ranged from 20 to 59 μg/day for Se, 3.2 to 13.5 mg/day for Zn and from 0.4 to 2.2 mg/day for Cu. Mean daily intakes calculated from 24-h diet recalls were lower than the majority of the mean values obtained analytically and amounted to 30 ± 11 μg for Se, 5.3 ± 1.8 mg for Zn and 0.8 ± 0.3 mg for Cu. Mean concentrations of Zn and Cu in food varied from 0.4 to 17.4 μg/g and from 0.3 to 7.2 μg/g, respectively.     

Rare earth elements in Oolong tea and their human health risks associated with drinking tea

In this study, the content of rare earth oxides (REOs) in made teas and infusions of 57 Oolong tea samples was investigated because when compared to other teas, Oolong tea is believed to contain a higher amount of REOs. The risks of REOs in Oolong tea to human health arising from drinking tea were assessed. The content of rare earth oxides (∑REOs) in the various types of Oolong tea varied from 0.62 to 10.1 mg/kg, 71.9–79.6% of which consisted of Ce, La, Y, and Nd. One-time infusion and five times successive infusions resulted in leached rates of 9.86–17.4% and 25.8–32.6% of the total REOs, respectively. The leached REOs increased with TOC in tea infusions. The proposed DAI_tea (daily allowable intake, 42 μg) would be exceeded when the content of REOs in Oolong tea was greater than 6.84 mg/kg based on the calculation with the highest consumption rate of Oolong tea (15 g/day) and the highest leached rate (41.0%). Among the tea samples studied, only 1.8% of the samples exhibited an REO content of greater than 6.84 mg/kg. Thus, in general, the intake of REOs by drinking Oolong tea is negligible.     

Ubiquinone contents in Korean fermented foods and average daily intakes

Coenzyme Q (CoQs, ubiquinones) in food may have antioxidative and other beneficial effects on human health. Data on the ubiquinones (CoQ₁₀ and CoQ₉) content of Korean fermented foods were determined, then the Korean daily intake of ubiquinones from those foods was estimated. The analytical method employed saponification before solvent extraction and quantification HPLC/MS equipped with diode array detection. Contents of CoQs in the fermented foods varied from 315.9 ± 12.6 μg/g (Jeotgal, a fermented fish) to below the detection limit (Soy sauce) on a dry basis. Doenjang (a fermented soy paste) was the richest sources of CoQ₉ (110.1 μg/g), while CoQ₁₀ was found highest contents in Jeotgal (291.0 μg/g). However, the major fermented food source of CoQs intake in the Korean population was Kimchi, representing 88.2% of the total CoQs (Q₉ + Q₁₀) intake. The estimated daily intake of total CoQs from the analyzed fermented foods was 11.6 mg/day/person, which was significantly higher than those of other populations reported (3–6 mg). It could be suggested that Korean fermented foods may have higher ubiquinone than unfermented foods due to their diverse microflora during the process of fermentation.