Metals in food products with rising consumption (brewer’s yeast, wheat bran, oat bran, sesame seeds, flaxseeds, chia seed). A nutritional and toxicological evaluation

Abstract

Brewer’s yeast, sesame seeds, wheat bran, oat bran, flaxseeds and chia seeds have gained popularity. Twenty metals were determined by ICP-OES for a nutritional and toxicological evaluation of the metal content of these foods. K is the most abundant macroelement in brewer’s yeast (4959 mg/kg), followed by Ca in sesame seeds (4349 mg/kg). Regarding the micronutrients, the Zn level in brewer’s yeast (132 mg/kg) is the highest, followed by Fe in wheat bran (56.8 mg/kg). Al is found in larger quantities in sesame seeds (14.1 mg/kg). These novel foods contribute notably to the dietary intake of Zn and Fe. The intake of Mn and Mo is nearly 100% of the daily reference intake. Regulations on the maximum limits of these elements should be implemented. The analyzed foods seem to offer higher contributions to the RDIs when it comes to micronutrients, rather than macronutrients. The metal contents pose no health risk.

Keywords

• Novel foods
• Brewer’s yeast
• Wheat and oat bran
• Flaxseeds
• Sesame and chia seeds
• Metal content