Overview
Researchers at Bunin Yelets State University analyzed apples of many varieties sold in a Lipetsk retail chain for bioactive compounds and eight elements by atomic absorption. Table 4 gives one wet-weight value per variety and compares it with Russian maximum allowable concentrations. Eleven varieties exceeded the 0.4 mg/kg lead limit and one (Mutsu) the 0.03 mg/kg cadmium limit.
Key numbers
- Lead: 0 (not detected) in ten varieties; up to 4.824 mg/kg wet weight (Gala), 4.234 (Florina) and 3.315 (Idared) (Table 4).
- Cadmium: not detected in most varieties; 0.112 (Mutsu), 0.029 (Mechta), 0.014 (Siberian Crab), 0.005 mg/kg (Tambov Striped) (Table 4).
- Nickel: up to 1.124 mg/kg wet weight (Red Delicious) (Table 4).
- Winter varieties had the highest mean lead, 2.157 ± 2.077 mg/kg (Table 6).
Methods (brief)
Atomic absorption spectrometry on a Spectrum-5 instrument. Sample preparation, digestion, detection limits, replicates and quality control are not described.
Evidence Fitness
One value per variety with no reported quality control, and lead values of several mg/kg in apples are far above levels reported elsewhere, so confidence is low. Table 4 lists 28 varieties although the text says 35, and the winter cadmium mean in Table 6 cannot be reconciled with Table 4 (flagged). Apple fruit is a proxy for apple pie (no pie measured), so the apple-pie page is not linked.