Lead: Mitigation Measures in Food Commodities and

Analysis in Juice SamplesVera Bzhilyanskaya

vbzhilya@terpmail.umd.eduScience, Discovery, and the Universe Biology: Neurobiology and Physiology

The CODEX Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Lead Contamination in Food, published in 2004, provides guidance to farmers, food producers, and consumers worldwide for reducing levels of lead in different food commodities. Lead contamination in food is a significant issue, as exposure to lead can contribute to neurological, cardiovascular, and renal effects. Lead exposure is of particular concern to fetuses, infants, and children. To reduce lead levels in food commodities, mitigation strategies for reducing lead during the production, processing, and packaging of foods are needed. Examining levels of lead in juice was a particular focus of this research project, as children are the primary demographic group for juice consumption in the U.S.

IntroductionThe literature review was used to prepare a Discussion Paper and revised draft Code of Practice that the U.S. Delegation will present at the 2019 meeting of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food.

MethodologyTo update the 2004 Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Lead Contamination in Food, a literature review was conducted to determine lead mitigation methods that have become available since 2004. Additional information has become available on lead mitigation methods related to use of soil for agricultural production, to drinking water treatment systems, to consumer practices, and to beverage production. Subsequently, lead in juice data analyzed from FACTS (Field Accomplishments and Compliance Tracking System) database (2005-2018) was used to analyze lead concentration in juices of different types, country of origin, and date of collection. Juices on the U.S. market, both domestically produced and imported, were the focus of this research project. Only juice types with more than one juice sample tested for lead content were analyzed.

Outcome 1

Conclusion

I would like to acknowledge my scholar’s program, Science, Discovery, and the Universe and the JIFSAN FDA internship program for providing me with this opportunity. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Eileen Abt, Dr. Lauren Posnick, and Dr. Alan Peel for mentoring me throughout my research.

Types of Juice

Lead

Con

cent

ratio

n (p

pb)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Lead Concentration in Different U.S. Juices

Apple (n=155) Blueberry (n=2) Carrot (n=83)Cranberry (n=8) Grape (n=88) Grapefruit (n=2)Mixed (n=20) Orange (n=21) Pear (n=54)Pineapple (n=8) Pomegranate (n=41) Prune (n=52)

As someone who has always accepted contaminants in food as a natural side effect of food processing, I was able to understand the reasoning behind this issue through this internship in a much more intricate way. I have also developed a better understanding of the policy making process in the federal government, as well as the importance of food safety.

For future research, I would investigate the different juice manufacturers and country of origin to determine if specific industry practices contribute to increased lead concentration in juices. I would also focus on testing a broader range of different juice types for lead levels to determine if patterns exist between certain fruits and lead uptake.

Future ResearchImage attributed to LiveScience.com

Draft/Preliminary Data. Graph created using FACTS Database (2005 – 2018).

The data analysis identified pomegranate juice as having the highest average concentration of lead in the U.S. juice samples examined. Historically, grape juice has been found through testing to have the highest levels of lead. However, grape juice had the second highest average concentration of lead in the dataset. Based on research under Outcome 1, it was determined that use of filtration aids with lower concentrations of lead can help reduce lead during processing of these beverages. Moreover, washing diatomaceous earth filtration aids with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution has been found to reduce lead levels in filter aids used for beverage processing (Redan et al. 2019).

Outcome 2

Redan, B. W., Jablonski, J. E., Halverson, C., Jaganathan, J., Mabud, M. A., & Jackson, L. S. (2019). Factors Affecting Transfer of the Heavy Metals Arsenic, Lead, and Cadmium from Diatomaceous-Earth Filter Aids to Alcoholic Beverages during Laboratory-Scale Filtration. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 67(9), 2670-2678. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.8b06062

References

Diatomaceous earth (DE): A soft, sedimentary rock that is applied as a precoat during the filtration of certain beverages (isapub.epa.gov) EDTA: A lead chelating agent and an anti-coagulant (accessdata.fda.gov)

GlossaryImage attributed to fao.org