Abstract
Concentrations of 27 elements (B, Na, Mg, Al, P, S, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sb, Ba, Hg, Pb, and U) in grain, flour, different bread and pasta samples, all bought in Austria, were determined with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. In total, we have investigated 73 grain and flour samples, including rye (Secale cereale), spelt (Triticum spelta) and wheat (Triticum aestivum), and additional 54 bread samples and 21 pasta samples. All investigated samples were within legal limits and show no health risk with respect to metal contamination. Furthermore, the importance of whole flour over white flour in bread and pasta to meet the daily requirements with respect to major and trace elements is demonstrated.
Highlights
In 2015, the typical Austrian consumed ~ 89.3 kg of grains [1]
The European Union agricultural legislation referred to whole grains as “grains from which only the part of the end has been removed, irrespective of characteristics produced at each stage of milling” [3]
Flour samples and pasta samples between 0.5 and 1 kg depending on the packaging size were bought
Summary
In 2015, the typical Austrian consumed ~ 89.3 kg of grains [1]. That is significantly more than the average 65.7 kg/year/ capita in Europe [2] and demonstrates the importance of grains in the Austrian diet. Soft wheat is per capita the main grain (58.8 kg), followed by maize and rye (12.7 and 9.3 kg, respectively) [1]. Spelt is with less than 1 kg/ capita/year mainly for bread production of interest. From the large amount of consumed grains, only a small part can be attributed to whole grain products. It has to be stated that there is no consistent definition of whole grain products across Europe. For Italy, mean whole grain intakes were published as 2.1 g/day in children and adolescents, whereas adults consume approximately 3.7 g/day, which means less
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