Kalicharan Kerusha, Baijnath Sooraj, Singh Sanil, Singh Thishana
School of Chemistry and Physics, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Wits Integrated Molecular Physiology Research Initiative, Wits Health Consortium (PTY) Ltd, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of The Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Vet Med Sci. 2025 May;11(3):e70319. doi: 10.1002/vms3.70319.
The recent increase in pet food recalls due to contamination and the increased risk of disease has highlighted the need for the screening of canine and feline pelleted food. Heavy metals, an often-overlooked contaminant, has been highlighted for its role in the development of companion animal disease. Therefore, it is imperative that heavy metal content in these commercially available pet foods is investigated. In this study, premium (n = 14) and supermarket brands (n = 17) of extruded cat and dog food were analyzed for the presence of As, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Hg, Ni and Zn using ICP-OES and Hg by HGAAS. Collectively, extruded dog food brands produced mean concentrations of 7.47 (As), 6.23 (Cd), 4.01 (Co), 16.72 (Ni), 3.99 (Pb), 0.47 (Hg), 35.59 (Cu), 529.53 (Fe) and 25.25 (Zn) mg/kg, whilst cat food brands contained 2.92 (As), 3.15 (Cd), 2.44 (Co), 4.26 (Ni), 7.24 (Pb), 0.16 (Hg), 38.08 (Cu), 389.14 (Fe) and 195.12 (Zn) mg/kg. Canine brands exceeded maximum tolerable limits (MTLs) more than feline with red meat proteins containing higher total heavy metal levels followed by poultry, fish and meat medley formulations. Furthermore, premium brands displayed higher levels of heavy metals exceeding MTLs than supermarket brands which were lower priced.
近期因污染导致宠物食品召回事件增多以及疾病风险上升，凸显了对犬猫颗粒食品进行筛查的必要性。重金属作为一种常被忽视的污染物，因其在伴侣动物疾病发展中的作用而受到关注。因此，对这些市售宠物食品中的重金属含量进行调查势在必行。在本研究中，使用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法（ICP - OES）分析了14种优质品牌和17种超市品牌的膨化猫粮和狗粮中砷（As）、镉（Cd）、钴（Co）、铜（Cu）、铁（Fe）、铅（Pb）、汞（Hg）、镍（Ni）和锌（Zn）的含量，并使用氢化物发生原子吸收光谱法（HGAAS）分析汞含量。总体而言，膨化狗粮品牌中各元素的平均含量分别为：砷7.47mg/kg、镉6.23mg/kg、钴4.01mg/kg、镍16.72mg/kg、铅3.99mg/kg、汞0.47mg/kg、铜35.59mg/kg、铁529.53mg/kg和锌25.25mg/kg；而猫粮品牌中各元素的平均含量分别为：砷2.92mg/kg、镉3.15mg/kg、钴2.44mg/kg、镍4.26mg/kg、铅7.24mg/kg、汞0.16mg/kg、铜38.08mg/kg、铁389.14mg/kg和锌195.12mg/kg。犬粮品牌超过最大耐受限量（MTLs）的情况比猫粮品牌更频繁，其中红肉蛋白含量高的总重金属水平更高，其次是家禽、鱼类和混合肉配方。此外，优质品牌的重金属超标水平高于价格较低的超市品牌。
