Perchlorate in soybean sprouts (Glycine max L. Merr.), water dropwort (Oenanthe stolonifera DC.), and lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) root in South Korea

J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Jul 13;59(13):7490-5. doi: 10.1021/jf2009638. Epub 2011 Jun 8.

Abstract

The occurrence of perchlorate in soybean sprouts (Glycine max L. Merr), water dropwort (Oenanthe stolonifera DC.), and lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) root, which are commonly consumed by people in South Korea, was determined by using an ion chromatograph coupled with a tandem mass spectrometer. For soybean sprouts (11 samples), perchlorate was detected in most (91%) of the samples at various concentrations of up to 78.4 μg/kg dry weight (DW); the mean concentration was 35.2 μg/kg DW. For water dropwort, of the 13 samples examined, four showed concentrations that were above the limit of quantification (LOQ). The mean perchlorate concentration was 20.7 μg/kg DW, and the highest perchlorate value was 39.9 μg/kg DW. Of the six lotus root samples examined, only one exhibited a detectable perchlorate concentration (17.3 μg/kg DW). For the accumulation experiments with artificially contaminated solutions, the concentrations of perchlorate in soybean sprouts gradually increased with the increase of perchlorate concentration in the solution. However, there was a decrease in the bioconcentration factor as the perchlorate concentration in the solution increased.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Food Contamination / analysis*
  • Glycine max / chemistry*
  • Nelumbo / chemistry*
  • Oenanthe / chemistry*
  • Perchlorates / analysis*
  • Plant Roots / chemistry
  • Plant Shoots / chemistry
  • Republic of Korea
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*

Substances

  • Perchlorates
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • perchlorate