Abstract
Background: Contamination of fruit juices with heavy metals presents a risk for human health. Concentrations of lead, and arsenic in fruit juices of market in Mashhad, Iran, were measured using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Methods: Fifty varieties of commercial fruit juices (grape, apple, orange, pomegranate, and multi-fruit) from 5 popular brands (A, B, C, D and E) were purchased from local markets of Mashhad during spring and winter 2016. Five samples of each brand were analyzed by AAS. Results: The mean concentrations of lead and arsenic were 39.4 and 1.9 ng/mL, with a range of 18.5–54.6 and 1.52-2.35 ng/mL, respectively. The orange A and multi-fruit A samples had a higher lead level than the others, whilst multi-fruit E contained the lowest. The lowest arsenic content was found in grape B, while the highest was found in multi-fruit C. Conclusion: Eighty-three percent of the samples had lead levels exceeding the maximum level (30 ng/mL) accepted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, while arsenic levels were below the maximal permissible value (10 ng/mL). Due to the fact that fruit juices are used by all age groups including infants and children, it is necessary to minimize the health risk from heavy metal contamination in fruit juices. For this reason, the amount of heavy metals contaminants in fruit juice samples should be regularly checked and controlled by the local health authorities.
Highlights
Fruit juices are widely consumed by all age groups in the world and their intake over the past two decades has rapidly increased because they can reduce the risks of many chronic and degenerative diseases [1,2,3]
The concentration of heavy metals in fruit juices depends on many factors such as the nature of the fruit, the mineral composition of the soil and the irrigation water, the climatic conditions, as well as the agricultural practices such as the types and amounts of fertilizers [5,6]
This study focused on monitoring contamination of Pb, and As in different fruit juices available in the Mashhad market and to compare them with reference levels established by the WHO and Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), as well as with similar published data
Summary
Fruit juices are widely consumed by all age groups in the world and their intake over the past two decades has rapidly increased because they can reduce the risks of many chronic and degenerative diseases [1,2,3]. Contamination of fruit juices with heavy metals presents a risk for human health. Concentrations of lead, and arsenic in fruit juices of market in Mashhad, Iran, were measured using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Due to the fact that fruit juices are used by all age groups including infants and children, it is necessary to minimize the health risk from heavy metal contamination in fruit juices. For this reason, the amount of heavy metals contaminants in fruit juice samples should be regularly checked and controlled by the local health authorities.
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