Isotopic and Elemental Fingerprint of Edible Egg Parts-The Health Risk Assessment Based on Potentially Toxic Elements Content

Content of Toxic Elements (Arsenic, Cadmium, Mercury, Lead) in Eggs from an Ethically Managed Laying Hen Farm

Domestic chicken farming has been promoted and spread in several Italian municipalities and worldwide as an aid to the self-consumption of domestically produced food. This study investigated the levels of four toxic elements (As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) in eggs from an ethical laying hen farm, comparing the element concentrations with those possibly present in supermarket eggs. A total of 201 eggs, 141 from the farm and produced by different hen genotypes, and 60 from the supermarket, were collected. The levels of the toxic elements were evaluated in the yolk, albumen, and eggshells of all eggs. The results show that the supermarket eggs' yolk and albumen were more contaminated with lead, compared to the rural eggs. Contrarily, the mean content of arsenic was higher in the albumen and eggshells of the rural eggs, compared to the supermarket eggs. The cadmium content was below the LOQ (0.005 mg/kg) in all samples. The mercury content was below or around the LOQ in all rural eggs. Overall, the supermarket egg albumens were significantly more contaminated than the rural ones. No significant differences were found in quality parameters for both types of eggs. The toxic element values that were detected were in line with other studies in the literature. However, despite the concentrations found not representing a risk to the consumers' health, the results of this study raise a potential food safety issue, and it would be desirable to set specific MRLs for eggs for consumers' protection.

Lithium Content and Its Nutritional Beneficence, Dietary Intake, and Impact on Human Health in Edibles from the Romanian Market

Lithium (Li) is present in human nutrition based on food intake, and several studies recommend it for treating mood disorders, even if the biological proprieties and biochemical mechanisms represent the basis for its use as an essential element. The Li content was evaluated using the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry technique (ICP-MS) in 1071 food and beverage samples from the Romanian market. The results show that Li had a decreasing mean concentration in the food samples as follows: vegetables leafy > bulbous > fructose > leguminous > egg whites > root vegetables > milk products > egg yolks > meats. Approximately a quarter of all data from each dataset category was extreme values (range between the third quartile and maximum value), with only 10% below the detection limit. Mean Li concentration indicated higher values in red wine, white wines, beers, and fruit juice and lower in ciders and bottled waters. A particular interest was addressed to plants for teas and coffee seeds, which showed narrow amounts of Li. For both food and beverages, two similar matrices, including egg whites and yolks and white and red wines, were found to have significant differences, which explains the high variability of Li uptake in various matrices. For 99.65% of the analyzed samples, the estimated daily intake of Li was below the provisional subchronic and chronic reference dose (2 µg/kgbw/day) for adverse effects in several organs and systems. Even so, a risk occurs in consuming bulbous vegetables (Li > 13.47 mg/kg) and fructose solano vegetables (Li > 11.33 mg/kg). The present study's findings indicate that ingesting most of the analyzed beverages and food samples could be considered safe, even if future studies regarding Li content, nutritional aspects, and human cohort diseases must be conducted.

Influence of Geographical Origin on Isotopic and Elemental Compositions of Pork Meat

Pigs are a primary source of meat, accounting for over 30% of global consumption. Consumers' preferences are determined by health considerations, paying more attention to foodstuffs quality, animal welfare, place of origin, and swine feeding regime, and being willing to pay a higher price for a product from a certain geographical region. In this study, the isotopic fingerprints (δ2H, δ18O, and δ13C) and 29 elements of loin pork meat samples were corroborated with chemometric methods to obtain the most important variables that could classify the samples' geographical origin. δ2H and δ18O values ranged from -71.0 to -21.2‱, and from -9.3 to -2.8‱, respectively. The contents of macro- and micro-essential elements are presented in the following order: K > Na > Mg > Ca > Zn > Fe > Cu > Cr. The LDA model assigned in the initial classification showed 91.4% separation of samples, while for the cross-validation procedure, a percentage of 90% was obtained. δ2H, K, Rb, and Pd were identified as the most representative parameters to differentiate the pork meat samples coming from Romania vs. those from abroad. The mean values of metal concentrations were used to estimate the potential health risks associated with the consumption of pork meat The results showed that none of the analyzed metals (As, Cd, Sn, Pb, Cu, and Zn) pose a carcinogenic risk.