Risk Assessment of Using Aluminum Foil in Food Preparation

Abstract

The contamination of food is a major concern not only for developing countries but also for the entire world. In the present work, leaching of aluminum from aluminum foil in different food solutions was studied. Minced meat was used to prepare six different food solutions using tomato juice, citric acid, apple vinegar, salt, and spices. Three techniques for analysis were used, weight loss (WL) measurements, Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM), and Inductively Coupled Plasma -Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results clearly indicate that the use of aluminum foil for cooking contributes significantly to the daily intake of aluminum through the cooked foods. The amount of leaching was found to be high in acidic solutions, and even higher with the addition of spices. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the obtained values considered to be unacceptable. Finally, excessive consumption of aluminum from leaching aluminum foil has an extreme health risk effects. Aluminum foil may be used for packing but not for cooking.