Manufacturing practices as potential sources of cadmium and other relevant metals in processed meat products. Risk and nutritional assessment

Processed meat products could constitute a relevant source of cadmium (Cd) and other toxic elements in the diet as they could contain organ meats (e.g. kidneys, liver) known to accumulate metals. Additionally, these products could be contaminated due to metal transfer from the machinery during processing and, in the case of canned meats, metal migration from the container could also occur. We analyzed Cd together with arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), tin (Sn) and zinc (Zn) in heavily processed meat products from low, medium, and high-cost US supermarkets (n = 75). These elements were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and the results were expressed on a wet weight basis. The limits of detection (LOD) for the elements analyzed were: 2.8 μg/kg for As, 0.46 μg/kg for Cd, 2.3 μg/kg for Cr, 7.0 μg/kg for Cu, 41 μg/kg for Fe, 2.4 μg/kg for Ni, 0.83 μg/kg for Pb and 4.3 μg/kg for Sn and 5.6 μg/kg for Zn. Cd was detected in the vast majority of the samples presenting an overall median (IQR) concentration of 3.71 (2.10, 5.34) μg/kg. The products with the highest median Cd concentrations were beef franks and pork cheese sausages from the low-cost supermarket, while spam (from the low and medium-cost supermarkets) presented the lowest. The elements As, Sn and Pb were mainly undetectable. Cr and Ni were detected in most of the samples displaying overall median (IQR) concentrations of 18.39 (8.26, 36.18) μg/kg and 22.25 (12.66, 54.85) μg/kg, respectively. Cu, Fe and Zn were detectable in all the samples with overall median (IQR) concentrations of 312 (235, 493) μg/kg, 10.84 (7.36, 13.57) mg/kg and 13.73 (11.42, 18.12) mg/kg, respectively. Metal composition of these products does not evidence addition of organ meat nor Cd contamination during processing. Metal migration in canned meat (spam) is also unlikely. All processed meat samples presented metal concentrations below the maximum levels set by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) and the European Union (EU). The estimated Cd intake due to the consumption of these products represented a minimal percentage of the tolerable weekly intake (TWI). Processed meat products from the low and medium-cost supermarkets generally had higher levels of Cd and, in similar products, lower levels of Fe and Zn than those from the high-cost supermarket.