Arsenic speciation in Japanese rice drinks and condiments.

Date
2009-11
Authors
Signes-Pastor, A. J.
Deacon, C.
Jenkins, R. O.
Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.)
Carbonell-Barrachina, A. A.
Meharg, A. A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
ISSN
1464-0325
Volume Title
Publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry
Peer reviewed
Yes
Abstract
Rice has been demonstrated to be one of the major contributors to inorganic arsenic (i-As) intake in humans. However, little is known about rice products as additional source of i-As exposure. In this study, misos, syrups and amazake (a fermented sweet rice drink) produced from rice, barley and millet were analysed for total arsenic (t-As) and a subset of samples were also analyzed for As speciation. Rice based products displayed a higher i-As content than those derived from barley and millet. Most of the t-As in the rice products studied was inorganic (63-83%), the remainder being dimethylarsinic acid. Those who regularly consume rice drinks and condiments, such as the Japanese population and those who follow health conscious diets based on the Japanese cuisine, could reach up to 23% of the World Health Organization's Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake of i-As, by only consuming these kinds of products. This study provides a wide appreciation of how i-As derived from rice based products enters the human diet and how this may be of concern to populations who are already exposed to high levels of i-As through consumption of foods such as rice and seaweed.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Signes-Pastor, A.J. et al. (2009) Arsenic speciation in Japanese rice drinks and condiments. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 11 pp. 1930-1934.
Research Institute
Institute for Allied Health Sciences Research