Bioaccessibility data of potentially toxic elements in complementary foods for infants: A review

• Autor(a) principal: Paiva, Esther Lima de
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Ali, Sher, Vasco, Elsa Reis, Alvito, Paula Cristina, Oliveira, Carlos Augusto Fernandes de
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/8756
• topic: Infant Food; Potential Toxic Elements; Bioaccessibility; In vitro Protocols; Introduction of Complementary Foods; Toxicologia; Digestão; Crianças

The introduction of complementary foods (CFs) is a critical step in an infant’s transition to solid foods, providing essential nutrients beyond breast milk. However, CFs may contain potentially toxic elements (PTEs), such as arsenic and cadmium that pose health risks to infants. In this context, understanding the bioaccessibility of PTEs is vital as it determines the fraction of a contaminant released from the food matrix and available for absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. Efforts have been made to standardize the assessment methodology for bioaccessibility, ensuring consistent and reliable data. Moreover, regulatory agencies have established guidelines for PTEs levels in food. However, important gaps still exist, which motivates many research opportunities on this topic.