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Occurrence of Selected Organic Contaminants in Edible Insects and Assessment of Their Chemical Safety.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Feeding the continuously growing world population is challenging, and edible insects offer a sustainable alternative to conventional sources of animal proteins. As with any food source, the potential presence of hazardous organic chemicals, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), plasticizers and flame retardants (FRs), must be investigated to guarantee consumer chemical safety. OBJECTIVES:Here, we have investigated the contamination levels of several classes of organic compounds in edible insects. To evaluate their chemical safety, a dietary exposure risk assessment was then performed by combining the measured chemical contamination with the most recent food consumption data from local surveys. METHODS:Insect samples, belonging to six orders (Orthoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Odonata, Hymenoptera) were purchased from five European and three Asian countries. POPs and halogenated FRs were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and organophosphorus FRs and plasticizers were quantified by liquid chromatography-MS/MS, according to validated protocols. RESULTS:The overall levels of chemical contamination varied greatly among the insect orders and country of purchase, but they were generally low and comparable with other commonly consumed animal products. DISCUSSION:Here we show that, besides the activities during rearing, the industrial post-harvesting handling and addition of ingredients are supplementary factors influencing the chemical load of the final insect food-product. The total estimated dietary intakes of the considered classes of compounds through insect consumption are comparable with those generally assessed in common food of animal origin worldwide and, when compared with existing reference dose values, suggest that the risk of adverse health effects from exposure to the targeted organic compounds via insect consumption is unlikely. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5782.

SUBMITTER: Poma G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6957287 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Occurrence of Selected Organic Contaminants in Edible Insects and Assessment of Their Chemical Safety.

Poma Giulia G Yin Shanshan S Tang Bin B Fujii Yukiko Y Cuykx Matthias M Covaci Adrian A

Environmental health perspectives 20191231 12

<h4>Background</h4>Feeding the continuously growing world population is challenging, and edible insects offer a sustainable alternative to conventional sources of animal proteins. As with any food source, the potential presence of hazardous organic chemicals, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), plasticizers and flame retardants (FRs), must be investigated to guarantee consumer chemical safety.<h4>Objectives</h4>Here, we have investigated the contamination levels of several classes of o ...[more]

PMID: 31891522

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Project description:Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. In Egypt, chickpea seeds are usually consumed at raw green and tender stage, or in the form of mature dry seeds. In our previous study, 'Giza 1' seeds exhibited stronger antioxidant activity and higher total phenol content than those from other Egyptian cultivars. In order to assess the biological potential of 'Giza 1' seeds in vivo, the extraction procedure was reproduced here. The extract was standardized using liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detector and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to evaluate their hepatoprotective effect on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in rats and acute toxicity. Administration of the extract to rats in doses up to 2 g/Kg) did not cause any mortalities or observable signs of toxicity. Further, the plant extract showed a strong hepatoprotective activity based on assessing serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase and levels of albumen, globulin, total protein, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and low density lipoprotein. The antioxidative activity was evaluated by assessing hepatic catalase and superoxide dismutase activity as well as reduced glutathione, and malondialdehyde levels. Additionally, anti-inflammatory activity was observed as the extract significantly lowered the hepatic tumor necrosis factor ? content. Histopathological examination of liver tissues indicated that the extract-treated animals showed almost normal hepatic architecture with fewer pathological changes. In conclusion, the current results suggest that the chickpea extract possesses an excellent safety profile with very low acute toxicity. Also, it exhibits a significant hepatoprotective effect against CCl4-induced liver injury in rats. This can be attributed, at least partly, to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of the isoflavones and phenolic acids content of the extract.

Dataset Information

Occurrence of Selected Organic Contaminants in Edible Insects and Assessment of Their Chemical Safety.

Publications

Occurrence of Selected Organic Contaminants in Edible Insects and Assessment of Their Chemical Safety.

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