Assessment of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Instant Noodles from Local Markets in Benghazi, Libya

Overview

El Ziani and colleagues measured cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and tin (Sn) in seven instant-noodle samples collected from local markets in Benghazi, Libya. Dried and powdered noodle samples were digested and analyzed by triple-quadrupole ICP-MS, with results reported in ppb. The occurrence finding is that sample 2 had the highest value for every measured metal, and the table-average concentration order was Pb > Cd > Sn > Cr > As. The paper reports total As and total Cr only; it does not distinguish inorganic arsenic or hexavalent chromium (Cr-VI).

Key numbers

Sample-level values from Table 1:

The abstract states that measured concentrations were “within the WHO permissible limits, except for Sample No. 2” for cadmium. Table 1, however, prints a WHO Cd comparator of 3.00 ppb and shows samples 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 above 3.00 ppb. The lead discussion also contains inconsistent prose: it says samples 2 and 4 exceeded 40 ppb and that none conformed to the 25.00 ppb standard, while Table 1 shows only sample 2 above 25.00 ppb. For occurrence routing, Table 1 values are the controlling extracted numbers.

Methods (brief)

Seven noodle samples were randomly collected from local markets in Benghazi, Libya, removed from packaging, sorted, numbered 1-7, and stored in plastic containers. Dried and powdered samples were digested from 0.5 +/- 0.0005 g portions with 10 mL HNO3 and 3 mL 60% HClO4, gently heated until perchloric-acid fumes appeared, cooled, treated with 10 mL HCl, and transferred to 50 mL volumetric flasks. Metals were measured using an iCAP triple-quadrupole ICP-MS from Thermo Scientific with Qtegra software. The paper reports total elements only and does not provide arsenic or chromium speciation.

Implications

This source contributes Libya-market instant-noodle occurrence data for Cd, Pb, total As, total Cr, and Sn. The sample-level table is compact and directly extractable, but the regulatory-comparator prose has internal inconsistencies, so any compliance discussion should be rebuilt from Table 1 rather than quoted from the narrative. It is useful for pasta/noodle product routing and for tin occurrence in a non-canned processed-food matrix. It is not suitable for inorganic arsenic (iAs) or Cr-VI pooling because the study reports total As and total Cr.

Update history

The five most recent substantive edits to this page, classified major (evidence or structure moved), correction (a published value or statement was wrong and has been fixed), or minor (narrative rewritten without changing the underlying evidence). Each description is derived from what the edit did to this page; the linked commit is the authoritative record, routine regeneration passes are excluded, and the full version history lives in git.