The Occurrence of Lead in Animal Source Foods in Iran in the 2010s Decade: A Systematic Review

Lead is a toxic, non-biodegradable, and accumulative heavy metal released into the environment by natural and anthropogenic activities. Despite health concerns due to the consumption of lead-contaminated foods, no systematic and comprehensive review studies have been published about the lead occurrence in animal source foods in Iran. The present study aimed to review the papers investigating the Pb contamination in animal-based food groups (including meat, fish, milk and dairy products, egg and honey) in Iran. A comprehensive search was performed with selected keywords in databases of Scopus, Web of science, and Magiran to find articles that had been published from January 2010 to December 2019. Of 371 identified articles on Pb contaminations in foods, 60 articles were selected using PRISMA. The lead concentrations were higher than the maximum recommended limits in 3 of 9 studies on meat and meat products, 12 of 26 studies on fish and canned fish, and 5 of 18 studies on milk and dairy products. However, the Pb contamination observed in studies on honey and egg was not comparable due to the lack of national and international standards. These results represent the importance of environmental monitoring and assessment for reducing exposure of animals to Pb, resulting in an improvement of food safety.

The concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in sausages: a systematic review and meta-analysis study

The contamination of fresh meat and meat products like sausages with potentially toxic elements (PTEs) is a worldwide health concern. Consequently, the related investigations concerning the levels of PTEs in sausages among databases such as Scopus, Cochrane, and PubMed were investigated 1 January 2000 to 20 August 2020. Furthermore, the concentration of PTEs in sausages was meta-analyzed based on the random effect model (REM). The findings indicated that the rank order of PTEs in sausage was Fe (432.154 μg/kg) > Cu (152.589 μg/kg) > Zn (93.813 μg/kg) > Cr (6.040 μg/kg) > Pb (1.524 μg/kg) > Ni (0.525 μg/kg) > Cd (0.115 μg/kg) > As (0.066 μg/kg). Our results showed that the PTE concentration in sausages was lower than the permitted limit except for Pb in samples reported from Nigeria, China, and Turkey. Therefore, continuous monitoring of PTEs in such products was recommended.

Evaluation of some food additives and heavy metals in Egyptian meat products

Background and Aim: Contamination of processed meat by chemicals, either by their addition for enhancing the product quality or as a result of contamination during the manufacturing process, is a crucial food safety issue that threatens human health. This research was conducted to estimate the contamination levels by harmful chemical contaminants, including nitrite, lead, cadmium, and phosphate in the Egyptian processed meats. Materials and Methods: In our study, 20 samples of each frozen sausage, pastirma, and luncheon were collected and prepared for the detection of chemical contaminants, including nitrite, lead, cadmium, phosphorus, and phosphate. Results: Pastirma showed the highest nitrite and lead levels (163.65±22.633 and 0.805±0.173 ppm) and the lowest levels in phosphorus and phosphate (2.294±0.19 and 9.084±0.755 g/kg) whereas sausage recorded the highest concentration of cadmium (0.073±0.008 ppm), phosphorus and phosphate (13.268±1.129 and 52.54±4.472 g/kg, respectively). However, the estimation of nitrite, lead, cadmium, and phosphate levels in sausage, pastirma, and luncheon was considered within the acceptable daily intake. Moreover, target hazard quotient and hazard index of all analyzed chemical contaminants in different processed meat were below one, indicating the safety of these meat products without any danger to human health. The probability of developing cancer was measured using carcinogenic risk (CR) where pastirma and luncheon recorded satisfactory levels away from developing cancer because of lead (4.59E-04 and 1.87E-04, respectively) and cadmium (7.60E-04 and 3.80E-04, respectively) contamination. Surprisingly, the cadmium level in sausage samples represented a relevant CR for consumers (1.90E-03). Conclusion: Periodical surveillance of meat chemical contaminants is a vital issue for human health maintenance.