Exposure Assessment of Essential and Potentially Toxic Metals in Wheat-Based Sweets for Human Consumption: Multivariate Analysis and Risk Evaluation Studies

Mahmood Ahmed; Syed Salman Shafqat; Amna Javed; Mudassar Sanaullah; Abdul Shakoor; Muhammad Imtiaz Shafiq; Syeda Kiran Shahzadi; Tanveer A Wani; Seema Zargar

doi:10.3390/molecules28217365

Exposure Assessment of Essential and Potentially Toxic Metals in Wheat-Based Sweets for Human Consumption: Multivariate Analysis and Risk Evaluation Studies

Molecules. 2023 Oct 31;28(21):7365. doi: 10.3390/molecules28217365.

Authors

Mahmood Ahmed¹, Syed Salman Shafqat¹, Amna Javed¹, Mudassar Sanaullah¹, Abdul Shakoor², Muhammad Imtiaz Shafiq^{3

4}, Syeda Kiran Shahzadi⁵, Tanveer A Wani⁶, Seema Zargar⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Division of Science and Technology, University of Education, College Road, Lahore 54770, Pakistan.
² CSH Pharmaceuticals (Pvt.) Ltd., Ferozepur Road, Lahore 54000, Pakistan.
³ School of Chemistry, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan.
⁴ Center for Bioinformatics and Drug Designing, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan.
⁵ Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada.
⁶ Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 222452, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing concern about the negative impact of unforeseen contaminants such as metals in commonly consumed food items, which pose a threat to human well-being. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to evaluate the levels of these contaminants to guarantee the safe consumption of these food items. The goal of the current research is to determine the levels of essential (EMs: Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, and Zn) and potentially toxic metals (PTMs: Al, Cr, Ni, As, Cd, and Pb) in various brands of wheat-based sweets. One hundred samples were collected and analysed via flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Also, the current study was to investigate the distribution, correlation, and multivariate analysis of 13 metals (Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Al, Cr, Ni, As, Cd, and Pb). Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to interpret the metals' association. The concentration (mg/kg) ranges of EMs were, in order, Mg (12.70-65.67), Ca (24.02-209.12), Mn (1.32-9.61), Fe (4.55-111.23), Co (0.32-8.94), Cu (2.12-8.61), and Zn (2.60-19.36), while the concentration (mg/kg) ranges of PTMs were, in order, Al (0.32-0.87), Cr (0.17-5.74), Ni (0.36-1.54), Cd (0.16-0.56), and Pb (0.14-0.92), and As was not detected in any sample under investigation. The HCA data revealed that Co, Al, and Ni form clusters with other metals. Sweets are prepared at high temperatures, and the elevated temperatures can increase the likelihood of Ni and Al leaching from stainless steel. Tolerable dietary intake (TDI) values for Ni were higher than the values established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The CR value found for the Ni and Cr was at the threshold level of cancer risk, if an amount of 25 g were to be used over a lifetime. In a nutshell, this study highlights the monitoring of EM and PTM levels in wheat-based sweets, and from a food safety perspective, the study is important for consumers of wheat-based sweets.

Keywords: chemometric approach; daily intake; food safety; human health risk; metal toxicity.

MeSH terms

Cadmium / analysis
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Heavy Metal Poisoning
Humans
Lead / analysis
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Multivariate Analysis
Risk Assessment
Triticum

Substances

Metals, Heavy
Cadmium
Lead

Grants and funding

RSP2023R357/King Saud University, Riyadh Saudi Arabia