A study on heavy metal content in rolled oats available in domestic market in India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61096/ijpar.v8.iss3.2019.260-265Keywords:
Rolled oats; India; heavy metal; Atomic absorption spectrometry; Lead (Pb), Copper (Cu).Abstract
Oat is an important cereal crop in developing worlds and the one of most commonly cultivated species is Avena sativa L. Oats possess beneficial effects against gastrointestinal problems, has anticancerous effects. Rolled oats are a type of lightly processed whole-grain food. Traditionally, they are made from oat groats that have been dehusked and steamed, before being rolled into flat flakes under heavy rollers and then stabilized by being lightly toasted. Rolled oats that are sold for porridge usually have had the tough outer bran removed. They have often, but not always, been lightly baked, pressure-cooked, or otherwise processed in some fashion. Thick-rolled oats are large whole flakes, and thin-rolled oats are smaller, fragmented flakes. Rolled whole oats, without further processing, can be cooked into a porridge and eaten as old-fashioned oats, but more highly fragmented and processed rolled oats absorb water much more easily and therefore cook faster into a porridge, so they are sometimes called "quick" or "instant" oats. Oats have high nutritional value. Oat based food products like breads, biscuits, cookies, probiotic drinks, rolled oats (instant oatmeal) are gaining increasing consideration.
Exposure of heavy metals to human beings has risen dramatically in the last 50 years. Humans are more likely to be exposed to heavy metal contamination from the dust that adheres to edible plants than from bioaccumulation. There are no reports regarding the level of heavy metal content in rolled oats. The objectives of this study was to determine the concentrations of Lead (Pb) and Copper (Cu) in Rolled oats collected from different part of India and also to assess whether the Rolled oats available in domestic market of India were safe for human consumption.
Out of 59 samples of rolled oats analysed, Lead (Pb) content ranges from Not detected i.e 0.00 ppm in 8 samples and 51 samples contain Lead (Pb) ranges from 0.005ppm to maximum of 0.120 ppm. As per FSSAI, the maximum permissible limit in “food not specified category “is 2 ppm (max.). It clearly indicates that all the samples were found to contain Lead (Pb) within the permissible limit as specified by FSSAI.
Out of 59 samples of rolled oats analysed, 58 samples were found to contain low level of Copper (Cu) content ranges from 0.028 ppm to 1.095 ppm. The Copper (Cu) content was “Not detected” in one sample of Rolled oat. As per FSSAI, the maximum permissible limit in “foods not specified category” for Copper (Cu) is 30 ppm. It clearly indicates that all the samples were found to contain Copper (Cu) within the permissible limit as specified by FSSAI.
The Rolled oat samples are safe for human consumption. The concentration of Lead (Pb) and Copper (Cu) in all the Rolled oats samples collected from different parts of India is within the safe limits as prescribed by FSSAI.
