Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Good Health & Well-being (SDG 3)
Assessing the impact of cooking techniques on arsenic levels in poultry products and the health risk implications for local and imported brands consumed in Trinidad and Tobago
Jenna-Marie Alvarez University of The West Indies. E-mail: Jennamarie.thongs@my.uwi.edu
This study evaluates arsenic levels in raw and cooked chicken from local and imported brands. Cooking methods, including air frying, frying, charcoal grilling, baking, stewing, steaming, and currying, were assessed for their effects on total arsenic (tAs) and inorganic arsenic (iAs) concentrations. Health risk assessments were conducted using the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) and Hazard Quotient (HQ) models. Arsenic speciation was performed using selective reduction Soxhlet extraction and hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS). Raw local chicken breast contained 1173.87 ±18.02 µg/kg tAs, while imported chicken thigh had 1271.77±40.28 µg/kg, both exceeding the US FDA limit (500 µg/kg). iAs (As (III) and As(V)) levels ranged from 310.69±5.75 µg/kg to 506.99±18.00 µg/kg for the local sample and 201.24±6.05 µg/kg to 298.13±1.84 µg/kg for the imported sample. Cooking altered arsenic levels; currying reduced iAs in the imported sample but increased As(V) in the local brand. Charcoal grilling caused the highest increase in tAs and iAs due to moisture loss and species transformation. HQ values exceeded 1 for both brands and ILCR values surpassed 10 –4 , indicating significant carcinogenic risks, with cooking increasing cancer risks up to sixfold. These findings underscore the need for stricter arsenic monitoring and highlight cooking’s dual role in modifying arsenic exposure risks. Key words: Arsenic, Carcinogens, Inorganic Arsenic, Roxarsone References 1. Mandal, B. K.; Suzuki, K. T. Arsenic Round the World: A Review. Talanta 2002, 58 (1), 201–235. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039- 9140(02)00268-0. 2. Devesa, V.; Martinez, A.; Suner, M.; Vélez, D.; Almela, C.; Montoro, R. Effect of cooking temperatures on chemical changes in species of organic arsenic in seafood. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2001, 49 3. Devesa, V.; Suner, M.; Algora, S.; Velez, D.; Montoro, R.; Jalon, M.; Urieta, I.; Macho, M. Organoarsenical species contents in cooked seafood. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2005, 53 (22), 8813-8819.
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