Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Analysis and Human Health Risk from Selected Heavy Metals in Common Instant Noodles

  • Published:
Biological Trace Element Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A current study has been carried out to assess the level of selected heavy metals like Cr, Cd, Zn, Mn, Fe, Co, Pb, and Ni in six branded noodles, i.e., Maggi, Knorr, Shan shoop, Shinramayun, Indomie, and Mama. The concentration of Cr, Cd, Zn, Mn, Fe, and Co was observed in the range of 3.3–9.7, 0.066–0.59, 6.2–11.4, 2.4–6.3, 4.8–17.5, and 0.39–0.74 mg kg−1 respectively while that of Pb and Ni was below the detection limit. High Cd (0.59 mg kg−1), Fe (17.5 mg kg−1), and Co (0.74 mg kg−1) were found in Maggi; high Cr (9.7 mg kg−1) and Mn (6.3 mg kg−1) were found in Mama while high Zn (11.4 mg kg−1) was found in Knorr. The health risk associated with the use of noodles in Pakistan was evaluated by using estimated dietary intake (EDI), target hazard quotients (THQs), and hazard index (HI). THQ values found for Zn, Mn, Fe, and Co were found below 1 while those for Cd in four samples were below 1 and for Maggi, they were higher than 1. THQ values for Cr in all samples were above 1. Cr and Cd concentrations were a little bit higher than those of the WHO/FAO permissible limits; Zn and Fe concentrations were found within the limit while for Mn and Co WHO/FAO limits are not yet established. The THQ values for Cr and its concentration in all samples show that it could have a detrimental effect on the users of noodles in Pakistan.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Jothi JS, Uddin MB (2014) Detection of heavy metals in some commercial brands of noodles. EAR 2:10667–10679

    Google Scholar 

  2. Onyema CT, Ekpunobi UE, Edowube AA, Odinma S, Sokwaibe CE (2014) Quality assessment of common instant noodles sold in Nigeria markets. AJAC 5:1174–1177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Zhang N, Ma G (2016) Noodles, traditionally and today. J Ethn Foods 3:209–212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Bahri A (1999) Agriculture reuse of waste water and global water management. Water Sci Technol 40:339

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Sastre J, Sahuquillo A, Vidal M, Rauret G (2002) Determination of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in environmental samples: microwave-assisted total digestion versus aqua regia and nitric acid extraction. Anal Chim Acta 462:59–72

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Zhou Q, Zhang J, Fu J, Shi J, Jiang G (2008) Biomonitoring; an appealing tool for assessment of metal pollution in the aquatic ecosystem. Anal Chim Acta 606:135–150

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Zhou CY, Wong MK, Koh LL, Wee YC (1997) Solid lead and other metal levels in industrial residential and nature reserve areas in Singapore. Environ Monit Assess 44:605–615

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Krishna AK, Satyanarayanan M, Govil PK (2009) Assessment of heavy metal pollution in water using multivariate statistical techniques in an industrial area; a case study from Patancheru, Medak District, Andhra Pradesh, India. J Haz Mater 167:366–373

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Anthemidis AN, Arvanitidis V, Stratis JA (2005) On-line emulsion formation and multi element analysis of edible oils by conductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Anal Chim Acta 537:271–278

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Biego GH, Joyeux M, Hartemann P, Debry G (1998) Daily intake of essential minerals and metallic micropollutants from foods in France. Sci Total Environ 217:27–36

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Joseph P (2009) Mechanisms of cadmium carcinogenesis. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 238:272–279

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Pasha Q, Malik SA, Shaheen N, Shah MH (2010) Investigation of trace metals in the blood plasma and scalp hair of gastrointestinal cancer patients in comparison with controls. Clin Chim Acta 411:531–539

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Siddiqui MKJ, Jyoti SS, Mehrotra PK, Singh K, Sarangi R (2006) Comparison of some trace elements concentration in blood, tumor free breast and tumor tissues of women with benign and malignant breast lesions: an Indian study. Environ Int 32:630–637

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Saini Y, Greenwood KK, Merrill C, Kim KY, Patial S, Parameswaran N, Harkema JR, Lapres J (2010) Acute cobalt-induced lung injury and the role of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α in modulating inflammation. J Toxicol Sci 116:673–681

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Chen TL, Wise SS, Kraus S, Shaffiey F, Levine K, Thompson DW, Romano T, O’Hara T, Wise JP (2009) Particulate hexavalent chromium is cytotoxic and genotoxic to the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) lung and skin fibroblasts. Environ Mol Mutagenesis 50:387–393

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Trichopoulos LO, Hoenig M, Scokart PO (1984) Determination of normal levels and upper limit values of trace elements in soils. Z Pflanzenernahr Bodenkd 147:687

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Idrees M, Jan FA, Ara A, Begum ZM, Mahmood M, Gulab H (2017b) Analysis and human health risk from selected heavy metals in water, sediments and fresh water fish (Labeo Rohita, Cyprinus Carpio, Glyptothorax Punjabensis) collected from three rivers in district Charsadda, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistan Carpath J Earth Env 12:641–648

    Google Scholar 

  18. USEPA, 2011, USEPA Regional Screening Level (RSL) Summary Table: Novemeber 2011

  19. Khan S, Cao Q, Zheng YM, Huang YZ, Zhu YG (2008) Health risks of heavy metals in contaminated soils and food crops irrigated with wastewater in Beijing, China. Environ Pollut 152:686–692

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Li QS, Chen Y, Fu H, Cui Z, Shi L, Wang L, Liu Z (2012) Health risk of heavy metals in food crops grown on reclaimed tidal flat soil in the Pearl River Estuary, China. J Hazard Mater 227−228:148–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Balkhair KS, Ashraf MA (2016) Field accumulation risks of heavy metals in soil and vegetable crop irrigated with sewage water in western region of Saudi Arabia. Saudi J Biol Sci 23:S32–S44

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Nazir R, Khan M, Masab M, Rehman H, Rauf N, Shahab S, Ameer N, Sajid M, Ullah M, Rafeeq M, Shaheen Z (2015) Accumulation of heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, Fe) in the soil, water and plants and analysis of physicochemical parameters of soil and water collected from Tanda Dam Kohat. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Research 7:89–97

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. WHO (2003) World Health Organization provisional tolerable weekly intake of toxic heavy metals

Download references

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Bacha Khan University (BKU) Charsadda KPK Pakistan for financial support of this work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty Name, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, Pakistan

    Muhammad Idrees

Authors
  1. Muhammad Idrees
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Muhammad Idrees.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The author declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Idrees, M. Analysis and Human Health Risk from Selected Heavy Metals in Common Instant Noodles. Biol Trace Elem Res 198, 339–343 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02062-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02062-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation