Heavy metal contamination in cereal-type commercial infant food (CIF) and its associated health risk to consumers in Klang Valley

Faizi, Nur Aisyah Najihah (2024) Heavy metal contamination in cereal-type commercial infant food (CIF) and its associated health risk to consumers in Klang Valley. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

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Abstract

Introduction: Commercial infant food (CIF) is commercially produced food items produced to meet the nutritional requirements of newborns and early children. This study focuses on cereal-type CIF in the market. However, cereal-type CIF maybe contaminated by heavy metals. The ingestion of heavy metals, even in small amounts, can be harmful to infants and can have adverse effects of these substances. Objective: To determine the concentration of heavy metals (arsenic, chromium, cadmium, lead, and mercury) in cereal-type CIFs and their associated health risk to consumers in Klang Valley. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 412 respondents in Klang Valley. A set of questionnaires was given to parents who have infants from 6 months to 24 months old and consume cereal-type CIF. Then, seven cereal-type CIFs were purchased based on the outcome of the questionnaire. The heavy metals were extracted using microwave digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis was conducted to determine concentration of heavy metals in cereal-type CIF in the 7 most popular brands. Hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI) and lifetime cancer risk (LCR) were calculated to determine noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. Results and discussion: The concentration of arsenic, chromium, cadmium, lead, and mercury in cereal-type CIF ranged from 0.139–0.282 mg/kg, 0.00948-0.0258 mg/kg, 0.00549-0.0233 mg/kg, 0.00766-0.0516 mg/kg, and 0.000788-0.00205 mg/kg, respectively. All 7 brands were found within the permissible limits of the Food Act 1983, International Food Standards, and European Union standards. These findings showed that cereal-based CIF was contaminated by heavy metal contamination and posed some non-carcinogenic risk and carcinogenic risks to consumers. The hazard quotient (HQ) for chromium in one sample (Brand F) was more than 1, and the hazard index (HI) in two samples (Brand A and Brand F) were more than 1, indicating significant non-carcinogenic health risk to consumer. The HQ and HI for heavy metals in cereal-type CIF of the rest of the samples were less than one, indicating there was no significant non-carcinogenic health risk to consumer. The lifetime cancer risk (LCR) for chromium, arsenic, cadmium, and lead were within the range of 10−6 to 10−4 , indicating the carcinogenic health risk of consuming the products was acceptable. Conclusion: Some cereal-type CIF might have significant risk as the consumption of cereal-type CIF increases over time. Monitoring needs to be conducted in cereal-type CIFs to ensure consumers’ safety, as they are considered susceptible populations. Keywords: Heavy Metals, Infant, Cereal, Commercial Infant Foods (CIFs), Health Risk.

Item Type:	Project Paper
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Faculty:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Depositing User:	Ms Norafizah Radzuan
Date Deposited:	29 Apr 2025 03:33
Last Modified:	16 Oct 2025 02:13
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/2373

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