Arsenic speciation in rice-based food for adults with celiac disease

Acid-based deep eutectic solvents followed by GFAAS for the speciation of As(III), As(V), total inorganic arsenic and total arsenic in rice samples

In the present study, an efficacious, safe, inexpensive and eco-friendly microextraction was provided by deep eutectic solvents based on dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME - DES) followed by GFAAS. A series of DESs were synthesised using l-menthol as hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) and carboxylic acids with 4, 6, 8 and 10 carbon atoms as hydrogen bond donors (HBD). The synthesised DESs were used as extractants of arsenic ions. Under optimised conditions, good linearity with coefficient of determination (r2) 0.992 and an acceptable linear range of 0.3-100 µg kg-1 was obtained. The limit of detection was 0.1 µg kg-1 (S/N = 3) for arsenite (As(III)) ions, and a high enrichment factor (EF = 200) was obtained. The enhancement factor and extraction recovery (ER%) of the method were 340 and 60%, respectively. RSDs including inter- and intra-day ranged from 3.2% to 5.8% in three examined concentrations. After a specific digestion, the capability of the synthesised DES in the extraction of As(III) from rice was tested. Total inorganic arsenic was separated similarly after reduction of arsenate (As(V)) to As(III), and As(V) concentration was calculated by difference. Using a second digestion method, total arsenic concentration (sum of organic and inorganic arsenic) in the samples was determined.

Monitoring arsenic species concentration in rice-based processed products distributed in South Korean markets and related risk assessment

Rice is an important grain as a major source of carbohydrates in Asia but contains more arsenic (As) than other grains. A total of 239 rice-based processed foods (rice, n = 30; rice cake, n = 30; porridge, n = 39; noodles, n = 33; bread, n = 20; snack, n = 59; powder, n = 28) were purchased in 2019 from domestic markets to measure total As (tAs) and As species. The average tAs and inorganic As (iAs) in each sample group ranged from 20 to 180 μg/kg (porridge for baby to noodle) and 4.4-85 μg/kg (porridge for baby to powder), respectively. The correlation between the iAs and tAs was affected by the variety of ingredients, such as the presence of seaweed (tAs) and the milling type of rice (iAs). Although rice cakes and baby rice-based powders are a source of concern for both adults and children, respectively, risk assessments indicate that most rice-based foods are generally safe to consume in South Korea.

Graphical abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-023-01270-9.

Arsenic in Mining Areas: Environmental Contamination Routes

The emission and accumulation of toxic elements such as arsenic in various environmental compartments have become increasingly frequent primarily due to anthropogenic actions such as those observed in agricultural, industrial, and mining activities. An example of environmental arsenic contamination in Brazil exists in the city of Paracatu, MG, due to the operation of a gold mine. The aim of this work is to evaluate the routes and effects of arsenic contamination in environmental compartments (air, water, and soil) and environmental organisms (fish and vegetables) from mining regions as well as the trophic transfer of the element for a risk assessment of the population. In this study, high levels of arsenic were found in the waters of the Rico stream ranging from 4.05 µg/L during the summer season to 72.4 µg/L during the winter season. Moreover, the highest As concentration was 1.668 mg kg^-1 in soil samples, which are influenced by seasonal variation and by proximity to the gold mine. Inorganic and organic arsenic species were found above the allowed limit in biological samples, indicating the transfer of arsenic found in the environment and demonstrating a great risk to the population exposed to this area. This study demonstrates the importance of environmental monitoring to diagnose contamination and encourage the search for new interventions and risk assessments for the population.

Arsenic contamination, impact and mitigation strategies in rice agro-environment: An inclusive insight

Arsenic (As) contamination and its adverse consequences on rice agroecosystem are well known. Rice has the credit to feed more than 50% of the world population but concurrently, rice accumulates a substantial amount of As, thereby compromising food security. The gravity of the situation lays in the fact that the population in theAs uncontaminated areas may be accidentally exposed to toxic levels of As from rice consumption. In this review, we are trying to summarize the documents on the impact of As contamination and phytotoxicity in past two decades. The unique feature of this attempt is wide spectrum coverages of topics, and that makes it truly an interdisciplinary review. Aprat from the behaviour of As in rice field soil, we have documented the cellular and molecular response of rice plant upon exposure to As. The potential of various mitigation strategies with particular emphasis on using biochar, seed priming technology, irrigation management, transgenic variety development and other agronomic methods have been critically explored. The review attempts to give a comprehensive and multidiciplinary insight into the behaviour of As in Paddy -Water - Soil - Plate prospective from molecular to post-harvest phase. From the comprehensive literature review, we may conclude that considerable emphasis on rice grain, nutritional and anti-nutritional components, and grain quality traits under arsenic stress condition is yet to be given. Besides these, some emerging mitigation options like seed priming technology, adoption of nanotechnological strategies, applications of biochar should be fortified in large scale without interfering with the proper use of biodiversity.

Do arsenic levels in rice pose a health risk to the UK population?

Consumption of rice and rice products can be a significant exposure pathway to inorganic arsenic (iAs), which is a group 1 carcinogen to humans. The UK follows the current European Commission regulations so that iAs concentrations must be < 0.20 mg kg^-1 in white (polished) rice and <0.25 mg kg^-1 in brown (unpolished) rice. However, iAs concentration in rice used for infant food production or direct consumption has been set at a maximum of 0.1 mg kg^-1. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate iAs concentrations in different types of rice sold in the UK and to quantify the health risks to the UK population. Here, we evaluated 55 different types of rice purchased from a range of retail outlets. First, we analysed all rice types for total As (tAs) concentration from which 42 rice samples with tAs > 0.1 mg kg^-1 were selected for As speciation using HPLC-ICP-MS. Based on the average concentration of iAs of our samples, we calculated values for the Lifetime Cancer Risk (LCR), Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) and Margin of Exposure (MoE). We found a statistically significant difference between organically and non-organically grown rice. We also found that brown rice contained a significantly higher concentration of iAs compared to white or wild rice. Notably, 28 rice samples exceeded the iAs maximum limit stipulated by the EU (0.1 mg kg^-1) with an average iAs concentration of 0.13 mg kg^-1; therefore consumption of these rice types could be riskier for infants than adults. Based on the MoE, it was found that infants up to 1 year must be restricted to a maximum of 20 g per day for the 28 rice types to avoid carcinogenic risks. We believe that consumers could be better informed whether the marketed product is fit for infants and young children, via appropriate product labelling containing information about iAs concentration.

An Overview of International Guidelines Focusing on the Long-Term Management of Coeliac Disease

Coeliac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder characterised by, but not isolated to, intestinal enteropathy in response to exposure to gluten in predisposed individuals. The mainstay of the management of CD is a strict, lifelong gluten free diet (GFD). Although numerous publications have focused on pathways to guide the diagnosis of CD, recommendations for the care of patients after diagnosis are less well established. This manuscript aimed to review the available published guidelines focusing on the ongoing management and follow-up of patients after diagnosis with CD and commencement of a GFD. All available guidelines recommend strict adherence to a GFD with most recommending an annual review by a specialist clinician, focusing on symptoms, adherence and growth. In addition to monitoring micronutrient status, some guidelines suggest monitoring bone mineral density in at-risk groups and screening for other autoimmune disorders. The benefit of multi-disciplinary input was outlined in many guidelines, in particular, the involvement of a specialist dietitian to provide nutritional counselling and support. While the available guidelines provide key messages, they highlight a lack of strong evidence and some inconsistences. Further evidence is required to support high quality, best-practice management strategies that will optimise the outcomes of patients with CD.

Arsenic speciation analysis in rice milk using LC-ICP-MS

The consumption of rice milk has increased, mainly by individuals intolerant to lactose or allergic to cow milk. However, rice milk contains As. In this sense, the concentration of As in rice milk should be controlled. In the present study it is proposed a methodology for determination of As(III), dimethylarsenic (DMA), monomethylarsenic (MMA) and As(V) species in rice milk using LC-ICP-MS. The main features of the methodology are fast analysis, easy and simple sample preparation, where the sample is 3-fold diluted in the mobile phase and then filtered. The four arsenic species investigated were detected in the analysed samples, being As(V) the main species. The limit of quantification of the method ranges from 0.25 to 0.43 μg L-1 As. The analyte recovery ranged from 81 to 116% for samples spiked to 1.00 μg L-1 or 5.00 μg L-1 As and the relative standard deviation was better than 5%.

Inorganic arsenic content in Ecuadorian rice-based products

Arsenic intake in the world is linked with drinking water and food; the main sources of inorganic As (i-As) exposure in food are rice and rice-based products. The consumption of rice in Ecuador is 53.2 kg year^-1 and it is the most commonly used cereal for the preparation of many popular dishes especially for subjects with celiac disease. Objectives of this research were: (i) to determine the content of i-As in foods widely consumed by Ecuadorians with celiac disease, (ii) to calculate the i-As dietary intake, and (iii) to model and predict the health risks of the population under study as a result of their exposure to i-As from rice-based food. The estimated daily intakes of Ecuadorian children (below 3 years of age) and adults were established at 0.52 and 0.55 μg kg^-1 body weight d^-1, respectively. These values were above the lower BMDL₀₁ value established for i-As established by the EFSA; consequently, it can be concluded that health risk cannot be excluded for the Ecuadorian population with celiac disease.

Geographical variation of arsenic distribution in paddy soil, rice and rice-based products: A meta-analytic approach and implications to human health

Arsenic is considered as ubiquitous toxic element belonging to the highest health hazard category. Wide ranges of natural as well as anthropogenic activities are subject to create global arsenic distribution in the broad sense. Rice is the major staple food consumed by world's population on the maximum scale. Growing environment of rice typically attributed by geographical origin may influence on arsenic bioavailability in rice grain. Over exploitation of arsenic contaminated, groundwater resources have recognised as major concern in agricultural perspective for rice production. On the other hand, biogeochemical weathering of arsenic bearing rocks as the geogenic origin, mining activities and application arsenical pesticides are recognised to be well known factors responsible to increase the soil arsenic level. Transfer of arsenic into rice is rightly acquainted from these possible sources of contamination in different regions around the world. Consequently, such substantial geographical variation reflects bioavailability as well as speciation of arsenic in rice. In this manuscript, we discuss the contribution of different arsenic entering pathways in soil-rice systems from regional variability. Furthermore, we attempted to apply the meta-analysis in order to predict the comparative risk assessment on distribution pattern of total and inorganic arsenic in rice commercialised from various rice producing regions of Asia, Europe and US by considering a selected number of data set an extensive range of market basket and field survey. In addition, we finally focus on health risk assessment associated by the consumption of rice and rice-based infant products as the dietary intake from the different of origin. Furthermore, we must detect and categorize the possible source of contamination, which may critically enhance the bioavailability of arsenic in rice in order to minimize the risk. These are the major aspects reviewed here.

Nutritional Considerations of the Gluten-Free Diet

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune-related disease causing inflammation in the small intestine triggered by the ingestion of gluten in the diet. The gluten-free diet (GFD) is the only treatment. Nutritional deficiencies of macronutrients and micronutrients are frequently found in untreated or newly diagnosed CD. A registered dietitian nutritionist is uniquely qualified to educate on the GFD and assess and support nutritional status at diagnosis and long term as well as helping patients with nonresponsive CD. Quality of life is important to address in individuals with CD because the GFD affects all aspects of life.

Inorganic Arsenic Determination in Food: A Review of Analytical Proposals and Quality Assessment Over the Last Six Years

Here we review recent developments in analytical proposals for the assessment of inorganic arsenic (iAs) content in food products. Interest in the determination of iAs in products for human consumption such as food commodities, wine, and seaweed among others is fueled by the wide recognition of its toxic effects on humans, even at low concentrations. Currently, the need for robust and reliable analytical methods is recognized by various international safety and health agencies, and by organizations in charge of establishing acceptable tolerance levels of iAs in food. This review summarizes the state of the art of analytical methods while highlighting tools for the assessment of quality assessment of the results, such as the production and evaluation of certified reference materials (CRMs) and the availability of specific proficiency testing (PT) programmes. Because the number of studies dedicated to the subject of this review has increased considerably over recent years, the sources consulted and cited here are limited to those from 2010 to the end of 2015.

One step derivatization with British Anti-Lewsite in combination with gas chromatography coupled to triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry for the fast and selective analysis of inorganic arsenic in rice

We developed a new fast and selective analytical method for the determination of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in rice by a gas chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) in combination with one step derivatization of inorganic arsenic (iAs) with British Anti-Lewsite (BAL). Two step derivatization of iAs with BAL has been previously performed for the GC-MS analysis. In this paper, the quantitative one step derivatization condition was successfully established. The GC-MS/MS was carried out with a short nonpolar capillary column (0.25 mm × 10 m) under the conditions of fast oven temperature ramp rate (4 °C/s) and high linear velocity (108.8 cm/s) of the carrier gas. The established GC-MS/MS method showed an excellent linearity (r(2) > 0.999) in a tested range (0.2-100.0 μg L(-1)), ultra-low limit of detection (LOD, 0.08 pg), and high precision and accuracy. The GC-MS/MS technique showed far greater selectivity (22.5 fold higher signal to noise ratio in rice sample) on iAs than GC-MS method. The gas chromatographic running time was only 2.5 min with the iAs retention time of 1.98 min. The established method was successfully applied to quantify the iAs contents in polished rice. The mean iAs content in the Korean polished rice (n = 27) was 66.1 μg kg(-1) with the range of 37.5-125.0 μg kg(-1). This represents the first report on the GC-tandem mass spectrometry in combination with the one step derivatization with BAL for the iAs speciation in rice. This GC-MS/MS method would be a simple, useful and reliable measure for the iAs analysis in rice in the laboratories in which the expensive and element specific HPLC-ICP-MS is not available.

Inorganic arsenic in rice-based products for infants and young children

Inorganic arsenic (Asi) is a chronic, non-threshold carcinogen. Rice and rice-based products can be the major source of Asi for many subpopulations. Baby rice, rice cereals and rice crackers are widely used to feed infants and young children. The Asi concentration in rice-based products may pose a health risk for infants and young children. Asi concentration was determined in rice-based products produced in the European Union and risk assessment associated with the consumption of these products by infants and young children, and compared to an identical US FDA survey. There are currently no European Union or United States of America regulations applicable to Asi in food. However, this study suggests that the samples evaluated may introduce significant concentration of Asi into infants' and young children's diets. Thus, there is an urgent need for regulatory limits on Asi in food, especially for baby rice-based products.