Determinação de minerais essenciais e tóxicos em produtos alimentícios para lactentes (purés industrializados)

Abstract

Excessive exposure to inorganic contaminants, such as heavy metals, through food consumption can cause health problems such as cancer and other non-carcinogenic adverse effects, particularly in infants. This study determined the levels of essential minerals and toxic metals in fruit purees for babies aged 4 to 8 months, sold in the city of Maputo. To this end, two samples of fruit purees were collected from two supermarkets: Mahotas Mini-Market and Shoprite in Magoanine. Consumers were interviewed at the supermarkets, determining their preferences for two brands: A (organic version) and B (regular version – made from fruits grown using pesticides and other synthetic chemicals). The samples were named Amp (brand A – apple blend flavor), Ab (brand A – banana flavor), Bm (brand B – apple flavor), and Bbm (brand B – banana and apple blend). The metals Al, As, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP - OES). Prior to the analyses, the analytical procedure was validated using the following parameters: analytical recovery, repeatability, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOD), linearity, and relative percentage error (RSD). The validation results show that the analytical method is suitable for determining metals in puree samples, as it has good linearity (r 2 > 0.9), analytical recovery above 80% for concentrations of 8 μg/mL, RSD between 0.115–4.769% (with the exception of Al), and LOD and LOQ values ranging from 0.004–0.613 mg/kg to 0.014–2.043 mg/kg, respectively. The concentrations of the trace minerals Fe and Zn are below the maximum values ​​permitted by European legislation, Codex Alimentarius, and the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB), with the exception of Cr levels, which were high for samples Ab, Amp, and Bbm. Regarding macrominerals, the Ab sample showed K and Mg levels of 2675 ± 386 and 164 ± 5 ​​mg/kg, respectively. On the other hand, the non-essential metals Al, As, and Pb showed concentrations above the established values ​​(Al > 1.00 mg/kg; As > 0.200 mg/kg; Pb > 0.050 mg/kg) for brands A and B, indicating an imminent risk to consumers of fruit purees. The health risk assessment showed that the estimated daily intakes (EDI) for Cr and Pb are above the recommended levels and presented HQ and HI values ​​> 1, indicating a risk to infants.(TRADUÇÃO NOSSA)