Effects of Soaking, Washing, and Cooking on Heavy Metal Concentrations in Five Polished Rice Varieties from Al-Ahsa local market, Saudi Arabia

El-Sharnouby, Gamal A.; Asiri, Saeed A.

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2024.304208.10011

Effects of Soaking, Washing, and Cooking on Heavy Metal Concentrations in Five Polished Rice Varieties from Al-Ahsa local market, Saudi Arabia

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Food Science & Technology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City 11884, Cairo, Egypt.

² Food Science & Nutrition Department, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, P.O.Box 420, Saudi Arabia.

10.21608/ejchem.2024.304208.10011

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) may contain harmful substances such as heavy metals, posing health risks to humans. Several factors contribute to rice serving as a source of toxic heavy metals.This study aims to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of heavy metals contamination (Cd, Cr, Pb, As, Ni, Zn, Hg, Fe, and Cu) of polished rice in the local market of Alhsa, Saudi Arabia. We employed an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) to assess the impact of a 2-hour soaking, washing, and cooking process on the concentrations of heavy metals in rice samples.In raw polished rice, the level of arsenic (As) remained within the safe limit without any significant difference observed. However, lead (Pb) was present at high levels with a highly significant difference observed. Levels of zinc (Zn) and mercury (Hg) were lower than the specifications set by the World Health Organization and the Saudi Standard Specification. Cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) were detected in all samples. In cooked rice samples, the mean concentrations were within the limits recommended by the WHO, except for lead (Pb).The pretreatment were found to be effective in reducing the concentrations of heavy metals in rice samples. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia places significant importance on ensuring food safety and to protect the health of its citizens.

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