Henríquez-Hernández et al. 2023 — Elemental contamination in Spanish ready-to-eat infant purees
The authors measured 38 chemical elements (essential, toxic, and rare earth) in 159 samples of ready-to-eat baby purees from the Spanish market across four product types: fruit (n=40), chicken (n=39), fish (n=40), and beef (n=40). Fish purees showed the highest concentrations of mercury and arsenic. Risk assessments revealed that manganese, molybdenum, and chromium exceeded adequate intake (AI) levels, particularly in store brands, while thallium and mercury posed acute hazard indices above safe thresholds, particularly in name brands. This study represents the first comprehensive analysis of essential, toxic, and rare earth element contamination in commercial infant ready-to-eat foods.
Metals measured
Toxic metals with regulatory relevance: mercury (tHg), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), thallium (Tl). Essential elements with AI thresholds: manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo). Rare earth elements (REE) quantified as summative ∑REEs.
Key findings
Mercury and arsenic by product type and brand category:
Fish purees: tHg median 28.1 ng/g (name brands), 12.2 ng/g (store brands), p=0.002. As median 346.2 ng/g (store brands) vs 212.5 ng/g (name brands), p=0.001. Beef and chicken purees showed lower concentrations; fruit lowest.
Nickel contamination:
Chicken purees: Ni 3.1× higher in store brands vs name brands (p<0.05), reflecting raw ingredient or processing differences.
Essential elements exceeding adequate intake (AI):
Manganese: 109.33% AI (name brands), 133.37% AI (store brands). Molybdenum: 146.16% AI (name brands), 229.02% AI (store brands, 2.3× AI in high-consumption scenario). Chromium: 139.50% AI (name brands), 210.26% AI (store brands).
Acute hazard index (aHI) — risk assessment for single-exposure scenarios:
Manganese aHI ≈ 1.3–2.3 depending on product type and consumption scenario, exceeding safe threshold (aHI > 1). Mercury aHI approximately 2× in name brands for fish purees. Thallium aHI approximately 3× in name brands, driven by rare earth element co-contamination pathways.
Rare earth elements:
Median ∑REEs ranged 5.9–16.1 ng/g across product types. At 97.5th percentile consumption (high-consumer infant scenario), REE intake approached maximum tolerable intake levels proposed for vulnerable populations.
Study design and methods
Sample selection: 159 ready-to-eat purees from Spanish retailers, stratified by product type (fruit, chicken, fish, beef) and retail channel (name brands vs store/private-label brands).
Analytical method: ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry). Sample preparation: microwave-assisted acid digestion (500 mg sample, 2.5 mL HNO₃, 7.5 mL Milli-Q water, 50 µL internal standard). Method validation: 87–118% recovery for toxic and essential elements; linear calibration curves R² ≥ 0.998. Limit of quantification established from 20 blank replicates per analyte.
Risk assessment scenarios: Two dietary exposure models for 6–12 month-old infants: (1) average consumer (50th percentile), consuming 174 g/day fruit purees and 58 g/day protein-based purees; (2) high consumer (97.5th percentile). Estimated daily intake (EDI) compared against EFSA dietary reference values (PRI for protein, AI for essential elements, UL for upper safe limits) and EPA tolerable daily intake (TDI) values for toxic elements.
Regulatory context
EFSA dietary reference values (PRI/AI/UL) and EPA TDI values for toxic metals provide the benchmarks. Spanish food safety regulations and EU harmonized limits apply; the study identifies where commercial products exceed these thresholds under plausible consumption scenarios.
Implications for regulation and food safety
This first comprehensive elemental survey of commercial infant ready-to-eat purees reveals contamination pathways in a sensitive population. Manganese and molybdenum overexposure through fortified and naturally-contaminated purees merits regulatory limit revision. Mercury and thallium pose acute toxicity risks under high-consumption scenarios, particularly in name-brand fish products where consumers may perceive premium brands as safer. Food safety agencies should strengthen quality controls on both premium and budget product lines, with specific attention to arsenic in fish purees and nickel in chicken purees. Rare earth elements’ emerging role as bioaccumulative contaminants warrants pediatric biomonitoring cohorts to assess long-term neurological and developmental health consequences of early exposure through commercial foods.
Related sources on this wiki
This source contributes evidence to:
- tHg contamination in foods
- As contamination in foods
- Ni in processed foods
- Mn exposure and infant intake
- Mo in fortified foods
- Tl toxicity thresholds
- Fish contamination profile
- Baby food contamination and regulation
- Fish-containing baby foods
- beef varieties)
- Fruit purees
Page history
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