Trace Element Analysis Core Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA.
Environ Health Perspect. 2012 May;120(5):623-6. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1104619. Epub 2012 Feb 16.
Rice can be a major source of inorganic arsenic (Asi) for many sub-populations. Rice products are also used as ingredients in prepared foods, some of which may not be obviously rice based. Organic brown rice syrup (OBRS) is used as a sweetener in organic food products as an alternative to high-fructose corn syrup. We hypothesized that OBRS introduces As into these products.
We determined the concentration and speciation of As in commercially available brown rice syrups and in products containing OBRS, including toddler formula, cereal/energy bars, and high-energy foods used by endurance athletes.
We used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and ion chromatography coupled to ICP-MS to determine total As (Astotal) concentrations and As speciation in products purchased via the Internet or in stores in the Hanover, New Hampshire, area.
We found that OBRS can contain high concentrations of Asi and dimethyl-arsenate (DMA). An "organic" toddler milk formula containing OBRS as the primary ingredient had Astotal concentrations up to six times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency safe drinking water limit. Cereal bars and high-energy foods containing OBRS also had higher As concentrations than equivalent products that did not contain OBRS. Asi was the main As species in most food products tested in this study.
There are currently no U.S. regulations applicable to As in food, but our findings suggest that the OBRS products we evaluated may introduce significant concentrations of Asi into an individual's diet. Thus, we conclude that there is an urgent need for regulatory limits on As in food.
对于许多亚人群来说，大米可能是无机砷 (Asi) 的主要来源。大米产品也被用作加工食品的原料，其中一些可能不是明显以大米为基础的。有机糙米糖浆 (OBRS) 作为一种甜味剂被用于有机食品产品中，以替代高果糖玉米糖浆。我们假设 OBRS 会将 As 引入这些产品中。
我们测定了市售糙米糖浆以及含有 OBRS 的产品（包括幼儿配方奶粉、谷类/能量棒和耐力运动员使用的高能量食品）中的 As 浓度和形态。
我们使用电感耦合等离子体质谱法 (ICP-MS) 和离子色谱法与 ICP-MS 相结合，测定通过互联网或在新罕布什尔州汉诺威地区的商店购买的产品中的总 As (Astotal) 浓度和 As 形态。
我们发现 OBRS 可以含有高浓度的 Asi 和二甲基砷酸 (DMA)。一种含有 OBRS 作为主要成分的“有机”幼儿配方奶粉的 Astotal 浓度高达美国环境保护署安全饮用水限量的六倍。含有 OBRS 的谷类棒和高能量食品的 As 浓度也高于不含 OBRS 的等效产品。在本研究中测试的大多数食品产品中，Asi 是主要的 As 形态。
目前美国没有适用于食品中 As 的法规，但我们的研究结果表明，我们评估的 OBRS 产品可能会将大量 Asi 引入个体的饮食中。因此，我们得出结论，迫切需要对食品中的 As 进行监管限制。
