Dados do Trabalho

Título

INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS (As, Cd, AND Pb) IN Spirulina and Schizochytrium sp. FOOD PRODUCTS

Introdução

Microalgae biomass exhibits high-value compounds that are beneficial for human nutrition, including lipids, proteins, minerals, and pigments. Food products based on microalgae can be found as fortified drinks, cookies, and pasta. Besides, food supplements are commonly known options, presented in the form of capsules and tablets. Nevertheless, the safety and quality of microalgae derivatives can be affected by environmental or anthropogenic contamination, requiring proper harvesting and processing. This study aimed to quantify the content of total arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in food supplements based on Spirulina powder (n=8) and Schizochytrium sp. oil (n=12).

Material e Métodos

Samples commercialized in Brazil and the European Union were collected and analyzed. Levels were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) after sample preparation by means of microwave-assisted acid digestion.

Resultados e Discussão

Method validation using certified reference material presented accuracy with recovery values between 70 and 104% for the target chemicals. Mean (range) concentrations of As, Cd and Pb in food supplements were 0.12 (<0.002-0.84), 0.013 (<0.0005-0.110) and 0.23 (<0.0005-1.11) mg kg-1. The highest concentrations occurred in Spirulina powder, with a mean content of 0.841 ± 0.016 mg kg-1 for As, 0.110 ± 0.007 mg kg-1 for Cd and .107 ± 0.047 mg kg-1 for Pb. In contrast, all the food supplement samples in oil form presented concentrations below the limit of quantification for As and Cd, and 90% for Pb.

Conclusão

In this way, Spirulina high protein food supplements and Schizochytrium sp. omega-3-rich oils are promising food products for consumers who do not intake ingredients of animal origin. Moreover, none of the samples exceeded the threshold set by the EC regulation (Cd = 1.0 mg kg-1 and Pb = 3.0 mg kg-1). This study highlights that monitoring inorganic contaminants in the final product, intended for human consumption, is needed to ensure its safety.