Infant formula is a major nutritional component for many infants and toddlers. However, the presence of contaminants, such as toxic metals, may pose increased health risks to infants. An investigation of the total concentrations of the metals aluminum (Al), barium (Ba), and chromium (Cr) in infant formulae marketed in Lebanon was performed. Powdered dairy and nondairy infant formula samples were collected from all commercially available brands (n = 39) in the Lebanese market on two production dates (78 samples in total) and analyzed for these three metals with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. All brands contained detectable concentrations of Al and Ba, Cr was detected in 95% of brands. Mean (±standard deviation) concentrations of the metals were estimated as 1.54 ± 1.43 (Al), 0.256 ± 0.593 (Ba), and 0.168 ± 0.143 (Cr) (μg/g). The concentration ranges in the powdered formula were 0.080 to 7.93 (Al), 0.038 to 5.35 (Ba), and 0.041 to 0.348 (Cr) μg/g. A significant difference in the mean concentrations of Al, Ba, and Cr for the two production dates of a single brand was observed in 92, 59, and 83% of samples, respectively. The mean concentration of Al in the soy-based formula was significantly higher than that of aluminum in milk-based and corn-based formulas (P = 0.018). Cr concentrations in the continuation special formulations were significantly higher than those in the beginner formulations (P = 0.008). Our study provides the first publicly available information on metal contamination in infant formulas in Lebanon and reveals the need for frequent monitoring and surveillance of these products intended for infant consumption.
HIGHLIGHTS
One of the limitations of fluorescence probe molecules during biomedical estimation is their lack of ability to selectively determine the targeted species. To overcome this there have been various approaches that involve attaching a functional group or aptamers to the fluorescence probe. However, encapsulating probe molecules in a matrix using nanotechnology can be a viable and easier method. Curcumin (Cur) as a fluorescence marker cannot distinguish DNA and RNA. This research reports a novel selective approach involving the use of nanocapsules composed of liposomal curcumin coated with chitosan for the selective detection of RNA molecules using a fluorescence method. The increase in RNA concentration enhanced the electrostatic interaction between the negatively charge surface of RNA and the positively charged nanocapsule, which was further verified by zeta potential measurement. This method had a low limit of detection (36 ng/ml) and higher linear dynamic ranges compared with other studies found in the literature. Moreover, the method was not affected by DNA and was selective for the detection of RNA molecules for which the site of interaction was confined only to uracil. The selectivity for RNA molecules towards other analogues species was also examined and recovery range found was between 99 and 100.33%.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.