Investigations on metallic contamination of foods

Summary

• 1. Aluminium vessels appear to be well suited for milk and milk products.

• 2. Fruit and vegetable juices dissolve only a small amount of aluminium from utensils during storage. The amount of aluminium dissolved is not a function of titratable acidity but possibly depends on the nature of organic acid present and also the buffering capacity of food material.

• 3. The corrosive action of acid foods on aluminium is increased by the presence of salt. The amount of aluminium dissolved by tamarind solution containing salt during storage is very nearly equal to the sum total of the amount of aluminium dissolved by acid and salt taken separately, so that each seems to act independent of the presence of the other.

• 4. The amount of aluminium dissolved in the ordinary process of cooking is very small, but in cases when acidic foodstuffs containing salt are cooked and stored for fairly long periods in aluminium vessels, the maximum that may be added to the daily diet from utensils will be about 50 mg.

• 5. Acidic foodstuffs containing salt after boiling in aluminium vessels should not be left long in the same vessel where corrosion has already started since in many cases, pin pricks may appear at the sides around the points of previous attack.

• 6. Feeding experiments with rats have shown that food prepared in aluminium vessels has no harmful effect on growth, reproduction and general well-being of the animals.