Commentary Open Access

Trace Toxic Metal Levels in Canned and Fresh Food: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The concentration of 27 elements of mineral and toxic heavy metals have been determined in 55 samples of canned and corresponding fresh food, for comparison. These samples (30 of them is canned food and the rest is fresh food) were collected from different local markets of western district of Saudi Arabia. For reliable, accurate and precise measurements, Inductively Coupled Plasma - Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES) has been used to quantify the levels of the studied metals in the food samples after digestion using microwave system. The results obtained showed that, the mean ranges of the elements analyzed in (mg kg-1) between the fresh and canned food are as follows: Fe (34.35 – 164.1), Al (6.63 – 41.14), Mn (11.73 – 17.95), Pb (2.31 – 7.11), Zn (24.14 – 26.76), Cu (6.22 – 8.03), Ca (1611 – 8557), Mg (1669 – 1206), Na (9918 – 23787), respectively. Some of the measured values found, not only relatively high in canned compared to fresh food samples, but also exceeds the international tolerance levels. The monitoring of mineral and heavy metals in fresh and canned food samples is vital important challenge to control and improve the food industry strategies

Zahrah Al-Thagafi , Hassan Arida , Reham Hassan

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