Henríquez-Hernández et al. 2023 — Elements in Ready-to-Eat Baby Purees, Spain
This 2023 Spanish study measured 38 chemical elements by ICP-MS in 159 commercial ready-to-eat baby purees across four food types (fruit, chicken, fish, beef). It is the first study to include rare earth elements (REEs) in baby food and provides useful benchmarks for multi-metal occurrence in complementary feeding products marketed for 6–12-month-old infants. Acid digestion by microwave (Milestone Ethos Up), recoveries 87–118%, LOQs determined from 20-replicate blank runs.
Key numbers
All concentrations in ng/g fresh weight (wet weight). Results are medians with ranges for name brands and store brands separately. Sample type totals: fruit (n=40), chicken (n=43), fish (n=40), beef (n=40).
Total arsenic (tAs) by puree type (ng/g wet weight):
| Type | Name brand median | Name range | Store brand median | Store range | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 5.7 | 1.1–11.5 | 5.5 | 1.8–10.6 | 40 |
| Chicken | 9.6 | 2.3–79.9 | 25.1 | 2.8–74.7 | 43 |
| Fish | 212.5 | 10.1–374.2 | 346.2 | 127.7–434.8 | 40 |
Total mercury (tHg) by puree type (ng/g wet weight):
| Type | Name brand median | Name range | Store brand median | Store range | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 18.0 | 10.4–42.7 | 12.1 | 9.2–17.6 | n.s. |
| Chicken | 10.7 | 7.8–12.6 | 12.0 | 9.0–18.7 | 0.042 |
| Fish | highest (name brands) | — | — | — | 0.002 |
Fish purees carried the highest Hg at 28.1 ng/g overall (name brand fish n.s.-marked but significantly higher than chicken; p=0.002 for name vs store comparison on the name being higher).
Lead (Pb) (ng/g wet weight):
| Type | Name brand median | Name range | Store brand median | Store range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 4.4 | 0.9–45.0 | 4.5 | 1.8–27.2 |
| Chicken | 6.1 | 3.3–31.8 | 5.9 | 4.7–19.6 |
Cadmium (Cd) (ng/g wet weight), detection frequency in parentheses:
| Type | Name brand median | Name range | Det% | Store median | Store range | Det% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 0.5 | <LOQ–1.6 | 72 | 0.5 | <LOQ–3.8 | 82 |
| Chicken | 11.9 | <LOQ–50.1 | 75 | 15.8 | 5.3–151.7 | 100 |
Nickel (Ni) (ng/g wet weight):
| Type | Name brand median | Store median | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 51.9 | 84.9 | 0.008 |
| Chicken | 46.9 | 142.1 | 0.006 |
Aluminum (Al) (ng/g wet weight):
| Type | Name brand median | Name range | Store median | Store range | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 4204.2 | 1844.3–9116.5 | 2124.9 | 1369.5–4902.0 | 0.031 |
| Chicken | 2172.6 | 1395.9–4521.7 | 2673.3 | 1592.5–9077.3 | n.s. |
| Fish | 3852.1 | 1430.5–7963.2 | 7987.3 | 3567.6–11,367.3 | <0.001 |
Uranium (U) (ng/g wet weight): Fruit purees: median 0.4, range <LOQ–1.1 (name, 44% detection), <LOQ–1.5 (store, 73% detection).
Methods
ICP-MS (Agilent 7900); microwave acid digestion; n=159 samples; wet weight basis; 38 elements measured. LOQs calculated from 20-replicate blanks. Values below LOQ assigned a random number between 0 and LOQ for statistical analysis. Study by University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria toxicology unit.
Key limitation: tAs not speciated; fish purees combine biologically inert arsenobetaine (AsB, predominant in fish) with trace iAs. The very high tAs in fish purees (median 212–346 ng/g) almost certainly reflects organic arsenic (AsB) from seafood and is not directly comparable to the iAs-driven tAs values in grain-based foods. Without speciation, these values cannot be used for iAs thresholds.
Implications
Certification: Fish purees show highest tAs but speciation unknown; speciation required before applying to iAs CC thresholds. Fruit purees have low tAs (5–6 ng/g) and Pb (4–5 ng/g). Chicken purees have notable Ni variance between name and store brands (3× difference). Store brands generally had higher toxic element levels for Ni and in some cases As.
Courses: Good illustration that food type drives metal speciation: fish tAs ≠ rice tAs.
App: Fish purees flagged for Hg and unspeciated tAs; fruit purees lowest risk profile for As and Pb.