Comparison of contaminant and residue levels in organic and conventional milk and meat products from Northern Italy

Ghidini, Sergio; Zanardi, Emanuela; Battaglia, A.; Varisco, G.; Ferretti, Enrica; Campanini, Giorgio; Chizzolini, R.

doi:10.1080/02652030400027995

Cited by 76 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The same behavior is observed in previous studies on lead, cadmium and aflatoxins in the infant cereals (Hernández-Martínez, & Navarro-Blasco, 2012;. On the contrary, other reported studies suggest little difference in the arsenic content found in organic vegetables with respect to their ordinary or conventional production (Ghidini et al, 2005); only selective, occasional and sporadic contaminations may explain high levels of these contaminants (Malmauret, Parent-Massin, Hardy, & Verger, 2002).…”

Section: Influence Of Cereal Production Methods On Mercury and Arsenicmentioning

confidence: 37%

Survey of total mercury and arsenic content in infant cereals marketed in Spain and estimated dietary intake

Hernández-Martínez

Navarro-Blasco

2013

Food Control

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Abstract:Due to the fact that infants and children are especially sensitive to mercury and arsenic exposure, predominantly through diet, a strict control of the most widely consumed infant foods, especially infant cereals, is of paramount importance. Levels of both total mercury and arsenic in 91 different infant cereals from ten different manufacturers in Spain were determined by flow injection adapted to cold vapor and hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry, respectively. Cereals were assessed in terms of the different types, the predominating cereal in the formulation, the added ingredients, and whether the cereal was organically or conventionally obtained. In general, the content of toxic elements (median (Q 1 ;Q 3 )) found in infant cereals based on conventionally obtained raw materials (n=74, Hg: 2.11 (0.42;4.58), As: 21.0 (9.4;50.9) µg·Kg ). Mercury content in infant cereals shows the higher values in those formulations with ingredients susceptible to particulate contamination such as gluten-free or cacao-based cereals. The highest arsenic content appears in the rice-based cereals. The mercury and the inorganic arsenic dietary intakes for infants fed on the infant cereals studied were assessed, taking into account the different stages of growth. Organic infant cereals based on cocoa showed the highest risk intakes of mercury, very close to exceeding the intake reference. Just the opposite, 95% of the organically produced infant cereals and 70% of the conventional gluten-free infant cereals showed an inadmissible risk of arsenic intake. Thus, it seems prudent to call for continued efforts in standardizing routine quality control and in reducing arsenic levels in infant cereals; in addition it is essential that relevant legislation be established and regulated by EC regarding these two toxic elements.

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Section: Influence Of Cereal Production Methods On Mercury and Arsenicmentioning

confidence: 37%

Survey of total mercury and arsenic content in infant cereals marketed in Spain and estimated dietary intake

Hernández-Martínez

Navarro-Blasco

2013

Food Control

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“…Certain studies have scientifically proven the benefits of organic products regarding lower content in synthetic agrochemicals (Poulsen & Andersen, 2003;Andersen, & Poulsen, 2001), nitrate and nitrite (De Martin & Restani, 2003), and drug residues (Cabaret, Mage, & Bouilhol, 2002;Carstensen, Vaarts, & Roepstorff, 2002), however a lack of differentiation in metal elements has also been demonstrated (Magkos, Arvaniti, & Zampelas, 2006). Thus, the organically produced vegetables exhibited no significant differences in relation to the levels of heavy metals from conventional production (Ghidini et al, 2005;Woese, Lange, Boess, & Werner-Bögl, 1997). Nevertheless, other authors showed marked differences against organic production.…”

Section: Influence Of Cereal Production Methods On Lead and Cadmium Comentioning

confidence: 79%

Estimation of dietary intake and content of lead and cadmium in infant cereals marketed in Spain

Hernández-Martínez

Navarro-Blasco

2012

Food Control

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Abstract:Lead and cadmium have become highly toxic metallic elements. There is an obvious toxicological impact of these elements on infants since their intestinal absorption is significantly higher than in adults, thus it is desirable to quantify lead and cadmium levels in commonly consumed infant foods. Zeeman background correction, transversely heated graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, was used to determine both the lead and cadmium content of 91 Spanish infant cereals. Cereals were assessed in terms of different types, cereal predominant in formulation and whether it was obtained organically or conventionally. Preliminary analysis revealed a noticeably higher content of lead and cadmium (median, Q1-Q3) in organic cereals (n = 17, Pb: 26.07; Cd: 18.52;.50 µg kg -1 ) in relation to conventional ones (n =74, Pb: 10.78; Cd: 7.12;.77 µg kg -1 ). Three formulations exceeded European lead maximum levels. Added ingredients (milk, cocoa, fruit and honey) to the cereal base provide lead enrichment. For cadmium, this pattern was observed by cereal based on cocoa, but also the raw materials contributed with a dilution phenomenon, decreasing the final cadmium concentration in infant cereal. Apart from several organically produced cereals, lead content showed a narrow variation, where gluten-free cereals provide lower cadmium content than formulations containing gluten. Dietary intakes of both elements were assessed in comparison with the reference intake values proposed by the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain. Organic infant cereals based on honey and cocoa supplied the highest risk intakes of lead and cadmium, respectively. In accordance with the actual state of knowledge on lead and cadmium toxicity and attending to the upper limits calculated from risk intake values set by EFSA, it seems prudent to call for a revision of both heavy metals content regulated by EC to set a maximum guideline values for infant cereal at 55 and 45 µg kg -1 , respectively.

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“…No marked differences in OTA levels were found in cereal derivatives in Italy (Biffi et al, 2004) or in cereal-based baby food (Beretta et al, 2002). Two studies have observed lower levels of aflatoxin in organic milks compared with conventional ones (Gravert et al, 1989;Frank Hansen, 1990), whereas another one found some high levels in organic milk (Ghidini et al, 2005). Organic beers collected in Belgium during [2003][2004] were more frequently OTA-contaminated than their conventional counterparts but this difference was not found in 2005 (Anselme et al, 2006).…”

Section: Mycotoxinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional quality and safety of organic food. A review

Lairon

2010

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

347

215

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-Food security, nutritional quality and safety vary widely around the world. Reaching these three goals is one of the major challenges for the near future. Up to now, industrialized production methods have clearly shown severe limitations such as a worldwide contamination of the food chain and water by persistent pesticide residues, and reduced nutrient and flavor contents through low-cost intensive food production and/or processing. In line with several published literature reviews, the French Agency for Food Safety (AFSSA) performed under my coordination an up-to-date exhaustive and critical evaluation of the nutritional and sanitary quality of organic food. This review is based on the AFSSA report issued and recently published studies. The major points are: 1/ organic plant products contain more dry matter and minerals (Fe, Mg); and contain more anti-oxidant micronutrients such as phenols and salicylic acid, 2/ organic animal products contain more polyunsaturated fatty acids, 3/ data on carbohydrate, protein and vitamin levels are insufficiently documented, 4/ 94-100% of organic food does not contain any pesticide residues, 5/ organic vegetables contain far less nitrates, about 50% less; and 6/ organic cereals contain overall similar levels of mycotoxins as conventional ones. Thus, organic agricultural systems have already proved able to produce food with high quality standards. I propose also improvements of organic production to achieve sustainable food production for humans in the near future. sustainable agriculture / organic agriculture / human food / nutrition / food safety / contaminants / health

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Comparison of contaminant and residue levels in organic and conventional milk and meat products from Northern Italy

Cited by 76 publications

References 10 publications

Survey of total mercury and arsenic content in infant cereals marketed in Spain and estimated dietary intake

Survey of total mercury and arsenic content in infant cereals marketed in Spain and estimated dietary intake

Estimation of dietary intake and content of lead and cadmium in infant cereals marketed in Spain

Nutritional quality and safety of organic food. A review

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