Estimating Aluminum Leaching into Meat Baked with Aluminum Foil Using Gravimetric and UV-Vis Spectrophotometric Method

Layla A Al Juhaiman

doi:10.4236/fns.2015.65056

Abstract

Baking meat by wrapping them in Aluminum (Al) foil is common in many countries. The excessive use of Al foil in baking and the disagreement about using Al foils were the motivation to do this study especially after the 2007 WHO/FDA Report. In this investigation, a gravimetric and a UV-Vis spectrophotometric method are used to estimate Aluminum (Al) leaching into meat baked by wrapping in Al foil. Three kinds of meat were used fish, cow stakes and chicken. The importance of Al exposure area was neglected by many studies. Five factors affecting Al leaching into meat are studied (baking temperature, baking time, additives, Al exposure area and weight of meat). The effect of cooking times (20, 40, 60 minutes) at 180℃ and cooking temperatures (160℃, 180℃, 200℃) at 60 minutes on the amount of Al leaching were evaluated. It was found that Al leaching into meat increased with increasing temperature, baking time, additives and Al exposure area. Moreover, Al exposure area was more effective than the weight of the meat. The Al leaching was highest in fish and lowest in chicken. Comparing the present results with the Provisional Tolerance Weekly Intake of Al approved by WHO/FDA, it shows that Al leaching into meat baked by wrapping in Al foil may add considerable doses into the diet. Continuous monitoring of Al foil used for baking meat is recommended.

Highlights

IntroductionSources of Aluminum (Al) entering the human body include water, food, beverages, medicines, food additives
Sources of Aluminum (Al) entering the human body include water, food, beverages, medicines, food additivesHow to cite this paper: Al Juhaiman, L. (2015) Estimating Aluminum Leaching into Meat Baked with Aluminum Foil Using Gravimetric and UV-Vis Spectrophotometric Method
The excessive use of Al foil in baking and the disagreement about using Al foils motivated me to do this study especially after the 2007 WHO/FDA Report. The purpose of this investigation is to estimate the amount of Al leaching from fish, chicken and meat baked in Al foil using a cheap weight loss (WL) and UV-Vis spectrophotometric method

Summary

Introduction

Sources of Aluminum (Al) entering the human body include water, food, beverages, medicines, food additives. In 2007, the PTWI was changed to 1 mg/Kg body weight [13] which reflected the neurotoxic potential of Al. There are several analytical techniques to evaluate low-level metals such as flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAA), Atomic Absorption spectrometry (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Using UV-Vis and EC for analysis of Al3+ ions was later updated by some researchers [15] [16] It is a common practice in many countries to bake fish, shrimp, and chicken and meat stakes by wrapping them in Al foil. The excessive use of Al foil in baking and the disagreement about using Al foils motivated me to do this study especially after the 2007 WHO/FDA Report The purpose of this investigation is to estimate the amount of Al leaching from fish, chicken and meat baked in Al foil using a cheap weight loss (WL) and UV-Vis spectrophotometric method.

Materials

Methods

Weight Loss Method

UV-Vis Spectrophotometric Method

Comparison of Al Leaching with PTWI

Conclusion