Studies on the aluminium content in Chinese foods and the maximum permitted levels of aluminum in wheat flour products.

Four hundred and six food samples of 64 food items, as well as 19 samples of aluminum (Al) containing food additives, were collected from Guangdong, Hunan, Shanghai and Beijing, and their Al contents were determined. The migration of Al from cooking aluminium-utensils into foods was also studied. The results show that the average daily dietary intake of Al in Chinese population was 9-12 mg. The dietary intake of migrated Al from Al-containing cooking utensils was approximately 4 mg per person per day. However, the use of Al containing food additives in the preparation of certain wheat flour products (e.g. steamed bread, deep-fried dough sticks) caused significant increase of dietary Al intake (> 1 mg/kg/day, the ADI proposed by WHO.) It is suggested that the content of Al in wheat flour products should not exceed 100 mg/kg, in order to meet the WHO ADI.

[Studies on the rare earth content in food and its daily intake in man].

The rare earth content of major food in China, they are distributed over 17 provinces and cities were examined by three-wavelength spectrophotometry. The rare earth contents were as follows: 0.41 +/- 0.35 mg/kg in grain, 0.23 +/- 0.18 mg/kg in vegetables, 0.19 +/- 0.11 mg/kg in fruits, 0.83 +/- 0.73 mg/kg in beans, 0.66 +/- 0.50 mg/kg in potato, 1.76 +/- 0.23 mg/kg in tea, 0.07 +/- 0.05 mg/kg in meat, birds, domestic fowls and eggs, 0.52 +/- 0.12 mg/kg in aquatic animals, 5.11 +/- 8.68 micrograms/L in drinking water. The possible daily intake of rare earth for a person from common foodstuffs was about 2.10-2. 50 mg/person.day, which was about one tenth to one sixth of ADI allowable daily intake of rare earths for a person.