Overview
Korish and Attia measured trace elements and heavy metals in retail broiler meat (fresh local and frozen imported), chicken burger, frankfurter, liver and table eggs bought in Jeddah in 2017, along with farm feed and litter. Lead, cadmium, arsenic and nickel were undetectable in plain meat and eggs, while burger, frankfurter and liver carried lead of about 15 to 17 ppm and cadmium of 0.38 to 1.12 ppm on a dry-matter basis.
Key numbers
- Fresh and frozen chicken meat: lead, cadmium, arsenic and nickel at undetectable levels (Table 5).
- Chicken burger: lead 16.69 ppm, cadmium 0.433 ppm, nickel 7.10 ppm, dry matter (Table 5).
- Chicken liver: lead 16.51 ppm, cadmium 1.12 ppm, dry matter (Table 5).
- Whole eggs, all four brands: lead, cadmium and arsenic undetectable (Table 6).
Methods (brief)
Samples were oven-dried at 105 °C, digested with nitric and sulfuric acids and analyzed by ICP-OES (the text also cites ICP-MS protocols). Results are dry-matter group means without standard deviations. Detection limits, certified reference materials and recoveries are not reported.
Evidence Fitness
Moderate sample sizes and a clear sampling window, but no quality-control data, no numeric detection limits and group means only. The very high lead in processed products and liver is not supported by QA data and should be treated cautiously. All results are dry weight. Direct evidence for chicken meat and eggs within meat-and-poultry; for chicken broth, chicken noodle soup, custard and turkey luncheon meat it is a chicken, egg or chicken-frankfurter proxy only.