ICP-MS determination of trace metals in commercial cornflakes from the UAE market

Chemical contamination of food products has become an increasing public health concern, particularly with the growing global demand for cereal-based foods. Cornflakes, widely consumed as a breakfast staple, may accumulate trace metals through environmental exposure, agricultural practices, processing, packaging, and transportation. In this study, thirteen essential and trace metals were quantified in 40 commercially available cornflake products collected from the United Arab Emirates market using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. The analyzed elements included Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Cd, Sn, Hg, and Pb. The mean concentrations (µg/kg) ranged from 5.34 for Sn (1.2-17.3) and 5.00 for Hg (0.2-9.9) to 3350 for Fe (244.6-26,550.3) and 1500 for Zn (55.8-12,681.0). Intermediate levels were observed for Mn (mean 209; range 10.0-790.9), Cu (288.4; 25.2-1536.0), Ni (437.2; 316.2-718.7), Cr (109.6; 30.8-251.7), As (80.5; 11.9-573.0), Cd (35.2; 17.8-66.1), Mo (30.3; 4.42-99.0), and Co (22.0; 1.4-279.2). Particularly concerning were the toxic elements Pb and Hg, with mean concentrations of 353.4 µg/kg (range 296.6-563.7) and 5.0 µg/kg (range 0.2-9.9), respectively. A substantial proportion of samples exceeded regulatory limits, with 73.8% surpassing the permissible level for Pb and 76.0% for Hg, based on internationally recognized standards from the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the European Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915. These findings highlight potential public health concerns associated with dietary exposure to toxic metals and emphasize the need for strengthened monitoring, improved manufacturing controls, and stricter regulatory enforcement to ensure food safety.