Breakfast cereal as a source of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium for school-age children

Breakfast cereal is a regular component of daily diets in Poland and in other countries. Since these products are very popular components of diets, they should be a source of key nutrients, including minerals. The objective of the study was: 1) to determine how popular cereals were among young and preteen school children; 2) to verify whether cereals could be a source of sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg). 232 ready-to-eat products were tested. The content of Na, K, Ca and Mg was determined using flame atomic absorption spectrometry in a Varian SpectrAA 280 FS. Daily intake of Na, K, Ca and Mg by children (aged 7 - 12 years) from 1 serving of breakfast cereals (1 serving size = 30g cereal + 125 ml milk) was compared with AI (for Na and K) or RDA (for Ca and Mg). The highest content of Na was recorded in cornflakes (approx. 500 mg/100 g), K in bran (more than 250 mg/100 g), Ca in bran and wholegrain cereals (approx. 57 mg/100 g), Mg in bran (nearly 180 mg/100 g). It was found that although cereals were not a rich source of Na, K, Ca and Mg for the studied group of consumers, when prepared with milk their nutritional value was significantly enhanced. One serving of breakfast cereals with milk per day would cover 5 – 17% of AI for Na, 5 - 7% of AI for K , 12 – 17% of RDA for Ca and 10 – 57% of RDA for Mg. Cornflakes, which turned out to be the richest source of Na, were the least valuable in terms of the content of the macroelements, in which they resembled rice flakes. All breakfast cereals, while not being particularly rich in Na, K, Ca and Mg, when prepared with milk have a considerably better value for school-age children and ensure a higher consumption of milk

The content of lead and cadmium in fruit-flavoured yoghurts and cream cheeses

Flavoured yoghurts and cream cheeses are usually promoted by the manufacturers as snacks for children and young people. An undeniable advantage of such products is the fact that they can be treated as convenience food because they have long expiry dates, they are ready to eat and available in packaging of various sizes. However, both milk and dairies can be a source of toxic metals, in particular Pb and Cd, for children. The research aimed to measure the level of Pb and Cd in fruit-flavoured yoghurts and cream cheeses. The analyses involved 83 products: 42 yoghurts and 41 cream cheeses. The products were split into 11 groups, depending on the used flavouring. The content of Cd and Pb was determined using the GF AAS method. In addition, the safety of fruit-flavoured yoghurts and cream cheeses was estimated for consumers aged 5 and 10. The analysed yoghurts contained on average 0.028 mg Pb and 0.008 mg Cd kg-1, whereas the cream cheeses – on average 0.02 mg Pb and 0.017 mg kg-1 Cd. The values were lower than acceptable. The highest (P < 0.05) content of Pb was recorded in mixed flavour yoghurts, whereas as regards cream cheeses – in stone fruit flavoured products. The highest (P < 0.05) content of Cd was recorded in vanilla-flavoured yoghurts and in mixed flavour and strawberry-flavoured cream cheeses. For a child, having one cup of fruit-flavoured yoghurt is equivalent to a daily intake of max. 7% BMDL01 Pb and max. 18.3% TWI Cd, whereas one cup of cream cheese – max. 28.5% BMDL01 Pb and max. 33.5% TWI Cd. The presented results indicated that one cup of fruit-flavoured yoghurt and cream cheese was safe for consumers in terms of Cd and Pb content. However, it should be noted that products most eagerly chosen by children (strawberry, peach) had the highest content of Pb and/or Cd per 1 cup, which means that their frequent consumption can be associated with a risk of increased intake of such toxic metals

Tannic Acid and Tea Prevents the Accumulation of Lead and Cadmium in the Lungs, Heart and Brain of Adolescent Male Wistar Rats—Possible Therapeutic Option

The protective effect of tannic acid and tea solutions on the lungs, hearts and brains of adolescent Wistar rats exposed to Pb and Cd was studied. Metals were administered with feed (7 mg Cd and 50 mg Pb/kg). Two experiments were carried. Experiment 1 aimed to determine the level of tannic acid (TA), most effectively reducing the adverse impact of Pb and Cd on the organs of adolescent rats (aged 5 weeks, weighing 169.3 ± 14.7 g) during combined exposure. TA was administered with drink (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 or 2.5% solutions). In Experiment 2, adolescent rats (aged 6 weeks, weighing 210.6 ± 12.1 g) received an aqueous solutions of black, green, red or white teas. TA and teas had a positive effect on reducing the accumulation of Cd in the organs. The results obtained suggest that long-term continuing administration of TA increases its effectiveness as a chelator for Pb. A 2% TA and white tea solution proved to be the most effective. In the analyzed tissues, increased activity of SOD and CAT was recorded as a result of the use of the TA and teas; thus, they can efficiently prevent the prooxidant effect of toxic metals