Baby Food Jars as a Dietary Source of Essential (K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Co, Mo, Mn) and Toxic Elements (Al, Cd, Pb, B, Ba, V, Sr, Li, Ni)

Abstract

Baby food from jars is made of meat, vegetables or fruits, and might be a valuable source of essential elements such as Na or K. However, these infant products could also be a source of toxic elements such as Al or Cd, which are dangerous to infants. In total, 45 samples of various kinds of baby food in jars (meat, vegetables, fruit and mixed) were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP OES) with the aim of evaluating the daily intake of essential elements (K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Co, Mo, Mn) and dietary exposure to toxic elements (Al, Cd, Pb, B, Ba, V, Sr, Li, Ni). Mixed jars registered the highest concentrations of Na, Ca, Zn, Fe. Al (8.22 ± 8.97 mg/kg wet weight) stands out in vegetable jars. In total, 130 g/day of mixed jars fulfills daily Zn and Ca requirements. These consumption scenarios (130 g/day, 250 g/day) supposed high Mn intakes (40 times higher than the recommended value), which could pose a risk to infants’ health. Pb, Ni, Cd and Al intakes exceed the maximum values. It is recommended to avoid the daily consumption of these products since it can pose a risk to the health of infants. Chemical compounds studied in this article: Nitric acid (PubChem: CID 944).

Whey Protein Dietary Supplements: Metal Exposure Assessment and Risk Characterization

“…The statistical analysis was carried out with GraphPad Prism 8.1.1. (GraphPad, San Diego, CA, USA) for Windows to identify statistically significant differences ( p < 0.05) in the levels of the different minerals and PTE in the whey protein supplements analyzed [ 66 , 76 ].…”

Toxic Metals (Al, Cd, and Pb) in Instant Soups: An Assessment of Dietary Intake

“…The samples were dried in an oven (Nabertherm, Lilienthal, Germany) at a temperature of 70 ± 10 °C for 24 h [ 26 ]. After this, the dried sample was weighed and placed in a muffle furnace (Nabertherm, Lilienthal, Germany) for 48 h following a temperature ramp until it reached 450 ± 25°C for 24 h. Once the greyish–white ashes were obtained [ 27 ], they were dissolved in 1.5% HNO 3 (Sigma Aldrich, Taufkirchen, Germany) to a volume of 25 mL using a volumetric flask and transferred to a decontaminated sampling bottle [ 28 ].…”

Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in the analysis of clinical and biological materials, foods and beverages

“…8.2 Single and multi-element applications in food and beverages 8.2.1 Dietary intake studies. The nutritional and toxic metal content of baby food from jars was studied by González-Suárez et al 232 Meat, vegetable, fruit and mixed baby foods were obtained from the local market. The samples underwent drying, ashing and analysis by ICP-OES for Al, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Sr, V and Zn.…”