DETERMINATION OF As, Cd, Pb, Cu AND Zn IN MEAT, MEAT PRODUCTS AND FISH

Abstract

Meat, meat products and fish are significantly represented in a person's full-day meal and are an important source of proteins, essential amino acids, fats and mineral salts, enzymes, vitamins, etc. This paper shows the results of the examination of toxic elements with atomic absorption spectrometry: the essential elements Cu and Zn, as well as the toxic elements As, Cd and Pb in food products from the group of meat, meat products, and fish, that are part of a balanced full-day meal. A total of 36 samples were examined: three samples each of three types of fresh meat: beef, pork, and chicken, two semi-permanent sausages and a cooked sausage, canned meat cuts, two concentrates of chicken and beef soup from three producers from the Macedonian region and two types of frozen fish: hake and trout, and samples of canned sardine from the wider region. All results were compared by comparative analysis with results from the literature. In all the examined food productss, the content of arsenic, cadmium, lead, copper, and zinc is below the maximum allowable and therefore they are considered safe for consumption.