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Trace Elements in Food: Nutritional and Safety Issues
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Trace Elements in Food: Nutritional and Safety Issues

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Quality and Safety".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2025) | Viewed by 10054

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Cristina Couto

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Guest Editor
1. LAQV/REQUIMTE, Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
2. Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, University Institute of Health Sciences-CESPU, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal
3. UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Forensics and Biomedical Sciences Research Laboratory, University Institute of Health Sciences (1H-TOXRUN, IUCS-CESPU), 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal
Interests: food; water; soil; flora; trace elements; environmental monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Elisa Keating

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Biomedicine–Unit of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Al. Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
2. CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
Interests: nutrition; metabolism; pregnancy; fetal programing; micronutrientes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Highlights

  • The introduction of new analytical techniques enhances the knowledge of ultra-trace elements in both food and food packaging;
  • Trace element speciation is becoming fundamental for a better knowledge on nutritional and safety issues;
  • Food data on TE provides the tools for legislators to set maximum acceptable limits for certain relevant species.

Dear Colleagues,

Trace elements are toxic if consumed at sufficiently high levels for long enough periods; hence, knowledge on trace and ultra-trace levels in food matrices and food contact materials is critical. This Special Issue aims to gather research studies for a comprehensive coverage of all aspects related to nutritional and safety concerns, such as a safe range of daily intakes, availability, food supplements, food stability, packaging, metallic nanoparticles, etc. We invite you to submit original papers that will contribute to potential topics including (but not limited to) sample preparation and analytical techniques for trace and ultra-trace determination, availability studies, speciation and regulatory requirements in food sectors, health safety and human biomonitoring.

Prof. Dr. Cristina Couto
Prof. Dr. Elisa Keating
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • trace elements
  • nutrients
  • safety
  • toxicity
  • foods

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1226 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Elemental Analysis of Espresso Coffee from Poland and Portugal
by Pawel Konieczyński, Kinga Seroczyńska, Marek Wesolowski, Edgar Pinto, Cristina Couto, Ana Cunha, Rui Azevedo and Agostinho Almeida
Foods 2025, 14(3), 426; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14030426 - 28 Jan 2025
Viewed by 778
Abstract
A comparative elemental analysis of espresso coffee from Poland and Portugal was carried out. Using an ICP-MS analytical procedure, samples collected from public cafes in Poland and Portugal (n = 60 and n = 44, respectively) were studied for their macromineral and trace [...] Read more.
A comparative elemental analysis of espresso coffee from Poland and Portugal was carried out. Using an ICP-MS analytical procedure, samples collected from public cafes in Poland and Portugal (n = 60 and n = 44, respectively) were studied for their macromineral and trace element content. To evaluate the contribution of water to the final composition of the beverage, paired samples (i.e., collected from the same locations) of drinking water were also analysed. The mineral profile of the coffee espresso samples was quite similar: Mg > P > Ca > Rb > Mn > B > Zn > Cu > Sr > Ba > Ni > Pb > Cs > Mo > Sn > Cd > Sb > Tl for samples from Poland and Mg > P > Ca > Rb > B > Mn > Zn > Sr > Cu > Ni > Ba > Cs > Pb > Mo > Sn > Sb > Cd > Tl for samples from Portugal. For most of the elements, the espresso samples showed much higher levels than the water used in its preparation. The two most notable exceptions were Ca and Sr, where the elements present in the coffee came mainly from the water. The contribution of coffee espressos to the daily intake of essential elements seems to be reduced. Other non-essential elements like Ni (median = 81.0 µg/L and 86.8 µg/L for Polish and Portuguese espresso, respectively) and Pb (median = 14.3 µg/L and 4.43 µg/L, respectively) were observed in significant amounts in the coffee espresso samples analysed in this study. These elements have been shown to leach from coffee machines in other studies. More studies are necessary to confirm these results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trace Elements in Food: Nutritional and Safety Issues)
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18 pages, 1923 KiB  
Article
Multivariate Modelling Based on Isotopic, Elemental, and Fatty Acid Profiles to Distinguish the Backyard and Barn Eggs
by Gabriela Cristea, Florina-Dorina Covaciu, Ioana Feher, Romulus Puscas, Cezara Voica and Adriana Dehelean
Foods 2024, 13(20), 3240; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13203240 - 11 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1294
Abstract
The ability to trace the origin of eggs from backyard-raised hens is important due to their higher market value compared to barn-raised eggs. This study aimed to differentiate eggs from these two rearing systems using isotopic, elemental, and fatty acid profiles of egg [...] Read more.
The ability to trace the origin of eggs from backyard-raised hens is important due to their higher market value compared to barn-raised eggs. This study aimed to differentiate eggs from these two rearing systems using isotopic, elemental, and fatty acid profiles of egg yolks. A total of 90 egg yolk samples were analyzed, analytical results being followed by statistical tests (Student’s t-test) showing significant differences in δ18O, several elements (Mg, K, Sc, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Ba, Pb), and fatty acids compositions (C23:0, C17:0, C18:0, C16:1n7, C18:1n9, C18:2n6, C20:1n7, C20:4n6, C20:5n3, C22:6n3), as well as in the ratios of SFA, PUFA, and UFA. The results indicated a nutritional advantage in backyard eggs due to their lower n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid content and a more favorable n-6 to n-3 ratio, linked to differences in the hens’ diet and rearing systems. To classify the production system (backyard vs. barn), three pattern recognition methods were applied: linear discriminant analysis (LDA), k–nearest neighbor (k–NN), and multilayer perceptron artificial neural networks (MLP–ANN). LDA provided perfect initial separation, achieving 98.9% accuracy in cross-validation. k-NN yielded classification rates of 98.4% for the training set and 85.7% for the test set, while MLP–ANN achieved 100% accuracy in training and 92.3% in testing, with minor misclassification. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of fusion among isotopic, elemental, and fatty acid profiles in distinguishing backyard eggs from barn eggs and highlight the nutritional benefits of the backyard-rearing system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trace Elements in Food: Nutritional and Safety Issues)
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21 pages, 2757 KiB  
Article
Arsenic in Rice and Rice-Based Products with Regard to Consumer Health
by Monika Rajkowska-Myśliwiec, Artur Ciemniak and Gabriela Karp
Foods 2024, 13(19), 3153; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193153 - 2 Oct 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1844
Abstract
Most articles on the exposure to arsenic (As) associated with rice and rice products come from Asia where these products are consumed in the largest quantities; relatively few of the articles have focused on European consumers. Since rice products can represent a significant [...] Read more.
Most articles on the exposure to arsenic (As) associated with rice and rice products come from Asia where these products are consumed in the largest quantities; relatively few of the articles have focused on European consumers. Since rice products can represent a significant contribution to overall arsenic exposure, the aim of the study was to determine the total arsenic content (tAs) in rice and the most commonly-consumed rice products available on the Polish market. The tAs determination was performed by hydride generation coupled to inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (HG-ICP-OES). Because an inorganic form of As (iAs) is mutagenic and carcinogenic and about 100-fold more toxic than the organic form, an additional aim of the study was to assess the risk of its ingestion, assuming that it constitutes 67.7%, 72.7%, or 90% of tAs. In all products tested, the calculated iAs content was below the maximum permissible levels, and no threat was found for any of the analyzed Polish consumers, based on the mean rice consumption in Poland and the mean calculated iAs content. However, a potential health risk was noted among infants and young children, assuming maximum iAs levels and threefold higher consumption (16.2 g d−1). To avoid a risk of developing cancer, infants up to one year of age should consume no more than 32.2 g of the studied products per week, children under three years of age up to 68.7 g, and adults 243 g. Consumers should strive to include a variety of cereals in their daily diet and choose products shown to have low arsenic contamination levels based on testing and inspection rankings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trace Elements in Food: Nutritional and Safety Issues)
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13 pages, 492 KiB  
Article
Multi-Elemental Analysis of Edible Insects, Scorpions, and Tarantulas from French (Online) Market and Human Health Risk Assessment Due to Their Consumption: A Pilot Study
by Yulianna Holowaty, Axelle Leufroy, Clément Mazurais, Diane Beauchemin and Petru Jitaru
Foods 2024, 13(15), 2353; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13152353 - 26 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1457
Abstract
Edible insects are becoming increasingly popular as protein alternatives to traditional animal-based products. As such, information on their elemental composition is important to ensure they are safe for human consumption. This article describes the development and validation of a rapid, reliable method for [...] Read more.
Edible insects are becoming increasingly popular as protein alternatives to traditional animal-based products. As such, information on their elemental composition is important to ensure they are safe for human consumption. This article describes the development and validation of a rapid, reliable method for the simultaneous determination of 19 elements (Al, As, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Pb, Se, Sr, and Zn) in edible insects by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) following closed vessel microwave digestion. The method was validated using three insect certified reference materials, namely black soldier fly larvae meal (BFLY-1), cricket flour (KRIK-1), and mealworm powder (VORM-1). The method was applied to analyze twelve different (whole) insect species. The maximum amount of each sample was calculated for As, Cd, and Pb with respect to their provisional tolerable daily intake values established by the Food and Agricultural Organization/World Health Organization. Most of the samples, except for scorpions and tarantulas, were safe to consume at large doses (1000–10,000 insects per day). Furthermore, most of the samples contained high levels of Fe, K, Na, and Zn, providing a preliminary overview of the nutritional profile of these novel protein alternatives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trace Elements in Food: Nutritional and Safety Issues)
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11 pages, 577 KiB  
Article
Tracking Trace Elements Found in Coffee and Infusions of Commercially Available Coffee Products Marketed in Poland
by Kamila Pokorska-Niewiada, Aniela Scheffler, Laura Przedpełska and Agata Witczak
Foods 2024, 13(14), 2212; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13142212 - 13 Jul 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3696
Abstract
Coffee is a source of micronutrients, including iron, zinc, copper, and manganese. It may also contain toxic metals, such as lead and cadmium. The effects of coffee on the human body may vary depending on its composition. The objective of this study was [...] Read more.
Coffee is a source of micronutrients, including iron, zinc, copper, and manganese. It may also contain toxic metals, such as lead and cadmium. The effects of coffee on the human body may vary depending on its composition. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of ground and instant coffee with regard to the content of selected trace elements. The concentrations of trace elements, including copper, iron, manganese, and zinc, were determined by ICP-AES, while the levels of lead and cadmium were quantified by GF-AAS methods. Furthermore, the degree of coverage of the recommended intake of elements and the risk assessment for human health (EDI, THQ, PTMI, and TWI) were determined. Our findings indicate that the consumption of a cup of coffee provides the body with only small amounts of these elements. A coffee prepared from 6.33 g of ground coffee beans provides 0.08–1.52% of the RDA value, while a coffee prepared from 6.33 g of instant coffee provides 0.46–13.01% of the RDA, depending on the microelement. The low transfer to the brew (Pb = 7.1%; Cd = 30.0%) of the analyzed ground coffees renders them safe for the consumer, even at a consumption of six cups per day. The percentage of benchmark dose lower confidence limit (BMDL0.1) in the case of lead did not exceed 0.9%. The estimated value did not exceed 0.2% of the provisional tolerable monthly intake of cadmium (PTMI). None of the analyzed coffees exhibited any risk regarding the trace elements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trace Elements in Food: Nutritional and Safety Issues)
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