Total Concentration of Arsenic in Commercial Infant/Toddler Food: A Preliminary Study in Libya

¹ University of Latvia, Jelgavas Street 1, Room 302, Riga LV-1004, Latvia
² Benghazi University, 3332+MV4, Benghazi, Libya
³ University of Muhammadiyah Malang, Jl. Tlogomas No.246, Malang 65144, East Java, Indonesia
⁴ University of Agriculture, Peshawar 25130, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
⁵ The Hashemite University, 13133 Zarqa, Jordan
⁶ Research Center for Food Technology and Processing (PRTPP), National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Special Region of Yogyakarta 55861, Indonesia
⁷ Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
⁸ IPB University, Jl. Raya Dramaga, Bogor 16680, West Java, Indonesia
⁹ The Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Wybickiego 7, 31-261 Kraków, Poland
¹⁰ Merdeka University of Madiun, Jl. Serayu No. 79, Madiun 63133, East Java, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: damat@umm.ac.id

Abstract

Infant/toddler food (ITF) contamination with As is a severe issue of concern due to the fact that food is the second leading source of As after drinking water in the aspect of toxicity induced by nutrition. This study aimed to perform a preliminary assessment of As contamination in commercially available ITF in Libya, thus revealing possible exposure of consumers to As. ITF samples were purchased at supermarkets and were divided as follows: i) ITF containing cereal mixture (ITF-mix); ii) ITF containing wheat (ITF-wheat); and iii) ITF containing rice (ITF-rice). The total concentration of As was detected after wet digestion using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The highest mean concentration of As was detected for ITF-rice in comparison to other ITF samples. Sources of As in food are both, natural and human-induced; the main source of ITF contamination with As could be industrial food processing, manufacturing and storage, as well as cultivation specifics of crops. The study revealed the significance of monitoring or supervision over food safety, especially regarding ITF as these products are intended for the most vulnerable groups of consumers.