Metals in food products with rising consumption (brewer’s yeast, wheat bran, oat bran, sesame seeds, flaxseeds, chia seed). A nutritional and toxicological evaluation

• Published in: Journal of functional foods 2018-09, Vol.48, p.558-565
• Main Authors: Rubio, Carmen, González-Weller, Dailos, Caballero, José M., Romano, Ana R., Paz, Soraya, Hardisson, Arturo, Gutiérrez, Ángel J., Revert, Consuelo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Brewer’s yeast; Flaxseeds; Metal content; Novel foods; Sesame and chia seeds; Wheat and oat bran
• ISSN: 1756-4646; 2214-9414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jff.2018.07.051

[Display omitted] •Brewer’s yeast, sesame seeds, wheat bran, oat bran, flaxseeds and chia seeds are novel foods.•The highest contributions to the dietary intakes come from wheat bran, sesame seeds and oat bran.•Novel foods contribute notably to the dietary intake of Zn and Fe.•The dietary intake of Mn and Mo can pose a health risk,•Exposure to Al, Cd and Pb through these novel foods does not raise serious health concerns. Brewer’s yeast, sesame seeds, wheat bran, oat bran, flaxseeds and chia seeds have gained popularity. Twenty metals were determined by ICP-OES for a nutritional and toxicological evaluation of the metal content of these foods. K is the most abundant macroelement in brewer’s yeast (4959 mg/kg), followed by Ca in sesame seeds (4349 mg/kg). Regarding the micronutrients, the Zn level in brewer’s yeast (132 mg/kg) is the highest, followed by Fe in wheat bran (56.8 mg/kg). Al is found in larger quantities in sesame seeds (14.1 mg/kg). These novel foods contribute notably to the dietary intake of Zn and Fe. The intake of Mn and Mo is nearly 100% of the daily reference intake. Regulations on the maximum limits of these elements should be implemented. The analyzed foods seem to offer higher contributions to the RDIs when it comes to micronutrients, rather than macronutrients. The metal contents pose no health risk.