Contamination of chicken eggs supplied in Tehran by heavy metals and calculation of their daily intake
Journal of Behdasht dar Arseh (i.e., Health in the Field),
Vol. 2 No. 4 (1393),
15 Mehr 2015
,
Page 44-51
https://doi.org/10.22037/jhf.v2i4.8916
Abstract
ackground and Aims: Chicken eggs, owing to richness in protein and essential minerals, are used in many communities and for all age groups. Metals are considered as one of the most important environmental pollutants which may lead to egg contamination. The consumption of contaminated eggs can harm human
health. The aim of this study was to evaluate heavy metal (arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel, copper, zinc and iron) contents in chicken eggs supplied in Tehran. Daily intake rates of heavy metals were also calculated.
Materials and Methods: A total of 29 chicken eggs were sampled from various food stores in Tehran. Sample preparation was performed using wet acid digestion. Heavy metals concentrations were determined using ICP-OES. Data analysis was carried out by means of the statistical software SPSS as well as Excel (V.2.26). Kruskal Wallis and ANOVA tests were executed to compare heavy metal concentrations between different brands.
Results: Mean concentrations of cadmium, lead, arsenic, nickel, copper, iron and zinc in collected chicken eggs were 0.01, 0.074, 0.03, 0.014, 1.46, 34.37 and 12.55 mg/kg, respectively. Iron and cadmium respectively showed the highest and lowest daily intake through chicken egg consumption.
Conclusion: It was concluded that the levels of heavy metals in sampled chicken eggs were less than permissible limits and thus are considered safe. However, due to the importance of food contamination in public health, the continuous monitoring of these contaminants in food is recommended.
- Chicken Eggs, Heavy Metals, Food Safety, Tehran
How to Cite
References
Rokni N. Principles of Food Hygiene. Tehran: Tehran University Press 2010 (In Persian).
Dacera DM, Babel S. Removal of heavy metals from contaminated sewage sludge using Aspergillusniger
fermented raw liquid from pineapple wastes. Bioresource Technology 2008;99(6):1682-9.
Vos G, Lammers H, Van Delft W. Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead and Mercury in meat, liver and kidney of sheep
slaughtered in the Netherland. LebensmUntersForch1988;187(1):1-7.
Watson D. Food Chemical Safety. Cambridge: Woodhead Publishing Limited 2001.
Santhi D, Balakrishnan V, Kalaikannan A, Radhakrishnan K. Presence of heavy metals in pork products in
Chennai (India). American Journal of Food Technology 2008;3(3): 192-9.
Miranda M, Lopez-Alonso M, Castillo C, Hernández J, Benedito J. Effects of moderate pollution on
toxic and trace metal levels in calves from a polluted area of northern Spain. Environment International
;31(4):543-8.
Wang X, Sato T, Xing B, Tao S. Health risks of heavy metals to the general public in Tianjin, China via
consumption of vegetables and fish. Science of the Total Environment 2005;350(1):28-37.
Vieira C, Morais S, Ramos S, Delerue-Matos C, Oliveira M. Mercury, cadmium, lead and arsenic levels in
three pelagic fish species from the Atlantic Ocean: intra-and inter-specific variability and human health risks
for consumption. Food and Chemical Toxicology 2011;49(4):923-32.
Baykov BD, Stoyanov MP, Gugova ML. Cadmium and lead bioaccumulation in malechickens for high
food concentrations. Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry 1996;54(1-4):155-9.
Sparks N. The hen’s egg–is its role in human nutrition changing? World’s Poultry Science Journal 2006;
(2):308-15.
Basha AM, Yasovardhan N, Satyanarayana SV, Reddy GVS, Kumar AV.Assessment of heavy metal
content of the hen eggs in the surroundings of uranium mining area, India. Annals Food Science and
Technology2013; 14(2): 344-9.
Abdulkhaliq A, Swaileh KM, Hussein RM, Matani M. Levels of metals (Cd, Pb, Cu and Fe) in cow’s
milk, dairy products and hen’s eggs from the West Bank, Palestine. International Food Research Journal
; 19(3): 1089-94.
Chowdhury MZA, Siddique ZA, Hossain SA, Kazi AI, Ahsan AA, Ahmed S, et al. Determination of
essential and toxic metals in meats, meat products and eggs by spectrophotometric method. Journal of the
Bangladesh Chemical Society 2011; 24(2):165-172.
Uluozlu OD, Tuzen M, Mendi D. Assessment of trace element contents of chicken products from Turkey.
Journal of Hazardous Materials 2009; 163(2): 982-7.
Kirkpatrick DC, Coffin DE. Trace metal content of chicken eggs. Journal of the Science of Food and
Agriculture 1975;26(1):99-103.
Hashish SM, Abdel-Samee LD, Abdel-Wahhab MA. Mineral and heavy metals content in eggs of local
hens at different geographic areas in Egypt. Global Veterinaria 2012;8(3):298-304.
Rahimi E, Drakhshesh SM. Determination of Cadmium content in raw milk by using Atomic Absorption
Apectrophotometry in different regions of Iran. Journal of Veterinary and Laboratory 2010; 2(1):65-74.
Rehman F. Comparative Study of Heavy Metals in different Parts of Domestic and Broiler Chickens.
International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review2013; 23(2): 151-4.
Chen SS, Lin YW, Kao YM, Shih YC. Trace elements and heavy metals in poultry and livestock meat in
Taiwan. Food Additives and Contaminants: Part B 2013;6(4):231-6.
Zmudzki, J. and Szkoda, J. Concentrations oftrace elements in hen eggs. PolarBromatologia-i-Chemia-
Toksykologiczna 1996; 29 (1):55-7.
Roychowdhury T, Tokunaga H, Ando M. Survey of arsenic and other heavy metals infood composites and
drinking water and estimationof dietary intake by the villagers from an arsenicaffectedarea of West Bengal,
India. Science of the TotalEnvironment 2003; 308(1-3): 15-35.
EC. Commission Regulations, European Commission (EC).Setting maximum levels for certain
contaminants in food stuffs. 2006.
FAO/WHO.Joint Expert Committee on FoodAdditives, FAO/WHO. WHO Technical Report Series No.
Evaluation of certain food additives andcontaminants, Geneva. 1989
- Abstract Viewed: 884 times