Isotopic and Elemental Fingerprint of Edible Egg Parts—The Health Risk Assessment Based on Potentially Toxic Elements Content

Abstract

The present study investigated the isotopic and elemental profile (by IRMS and ICP–MS) of edible egg parts (29 egg whites and 29 yolks) mainly collected from Romania. In order to differentiate the egg white and yolk coming from different hen rearing systems (backyard and barn), Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) models were developed. The models’ accuracies for the discrimination according to the hen growing system were 96% for egg white and 100% for egg yolk samples, respectively. Elements that proved to have the highest discrimination power for both egg white and yolk were the following: δ13C, Li, B, Mg, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ba, La, Ce, and Pb. Nevertheless, the important compositional differentiation, in terms of essential mineral content, between the edible egg parts (egg white and egg yolk) were also pointed out. The estimated daily intake (EDI), the target hazard quotient (THQ) for Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Cd, Pb, and As, as well as the hazard index (HI) were used to assess non-carcinogenic human health risks from egg consumption. The obtained results showed no noticeable health risks related to egg consumption for humans from the point of view of the potentially toxic metals.

Lithium Content and Its Nutritional Beneficence, Dietary Intake, and Impact on Human Health in Edibles from the Romanian Market

“…Thus, the literature indicates a price up to 8 times higher for egg whites based on the increased demand for fat-and cholesterol-free highquality row protein [67,68]. Li content in egg whites and yolks was previously analyzed for Romanian products, and mean concentrations of 0.31 and 0.11 mg/kg are comparable to our results [69]. High Li contents in eggs were observed in the literature, e.g., as average in Spain (2.48 ± 0.74 mg/kg) [17] and Italy (0.003 mg/kg) [57], respectively, with maximum value in Germany (6.50 mg/kg) [70].…”

Influence of Geographical Origin on Isotopic and Elemental Compositions of Pork Meat

“…Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS), together with Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), represents efficient analytical techniques that trace the geographical origin of different food products, especially if these techniques are combined with statistical methods. Such results are reported for wine [6,7], milk and dairy products [8,9], eggs [10], honey [11], olive oil [12,13], and saffron [14]. Just as each person has a unique fingerprint, each plant and each animal have unique characteristics linked to their place of origin.…”

Backyard vs. barn eggs: differentiation and prediction models for two growing systems of hens based on isotopic, elemental, and fatty acid profiles of egg yolk

“…Every one yolk was carefully separated from albumen and then was homogenized separately to ensure uniformity. For further isotopic and elemental determinations, the water was extracted by a procedure that used cryogenic distillation under vacuum, utilizing liquid nitrogen (Cristea et al, 2023). At the end of this step, the obtained egg yolk was completely dry, without any water content.…”

“…where ref is the international measurement standard, sample represents the analyzed sample, and i E/ j E is the isotope ratio between heavier and lighter isotopes. The delta values are (Cristea et al, 2023) multiplied by 1000 and express in units "per mil" (‰). The international standards are Vienna-Pee Dee Belemnite (V-PDB) for 13 C/ 12 C determinations and Vienna-Standard Mean Ocean Water (V-SMOW) for measurements of 2 H/ 1 H and 18 O/ 16 O.…”

“…The analysis was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) using an ELAN DRC (e) mass spectrometer (PerkinElmer SCIEX, USA). Prior to analysis, 0.1 g of dry samples (obtain by a procedure that used cryogenic distillation under vacuum) were digested using HNO 3 60% (v/v) and H 2 O 2 30% (v/v), according to instrumental parameters and settings reported previously (Cristea et al, 2023). The blank solution (4 ml of HNO 3 (60% w/w %) and 1 mL of H 2 O 2 (30% w/w %)) was used.…”