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Contents of Toxic Metals in Fruits Available on Korean Markets  

Kim, Mee-Hye (Department of Risk Analysis, National Institute of Toxicological Research, Korea Food and Drug Administration)
Kim, Jung-Soo (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, Korea Food and Drug Administration)
Sho, You-Sub (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, Korea Food and Drug Administration)
Chung, So-Young (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, Korea Food and Drug Administration)
Lee, Jong-Ok (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, Korea Food and Drug Administration)
Publication Information
Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology / v.36, no.4, 2004 , pp. 523-526 More about this Journal
Abstract
There are few studies on toxic metals in fruits. Therefore, we examined contents of toxic metals in fruits (n=386) available in Korean markets. The samples were digested with acids, then analyzed by inductively coupled plasma spectrometer (ICP) or atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) for lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As). The contents of mercury (Hg) were also determined using a mercury analyzer, Contents of toxic metals in fruits were as follows [minimum-maximum (mean), mg/kg]; Hg 0.0001-0.019 (0.001), Pb 0.001-0.410 (0.013), Cd 0.001-0.035 (0.000), and As 0.001-0.210 (0.017). Our results showed that metal contents in fruits in Korean markets were similar to those reported in other countries. Average weekly intakes of Hg, Pb, and Cd from fruits are about 1-2% of Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intakes (PTWI) set by FAO/WHO Joint Food Additive and Contaminants Committee for safety evaluation.
Keywords
heavy metals; fruits; mercury; lead; cadmium;
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