Assessment of heavy metals in selected meat products / Noor Hidayah Halim

Contamination of heavy metals in food may be due to natural
sources or anthropogenic source. Human could directly or
indirectly consume heavy metals via food chain. A total of 12
samples of meat products consisting of meatball, minced beef,
sausages and burger patties were randomly purchased and analyzed
for heavy metals concentration using Atomic Absorption
Spectroscopy. This study aimed to investigate the presence of
essential metals such as Cu, Zn and toxic metals such as Cd, Pb in
selected meat products and to compare the concentration of Cu, Zn,
Cd and Pb with the limit guidelines set by the Malaysia Food
Regulation 1985. The concentration of the Zn obtained from the
12 meat products was in order of meatball > sausages = burger
patties> minced beef. However, the order of the level of the Cu
obtained was different, minced beef > meatball > sausages >
burger patties. For Pb and Cd, the concentrations were below the
detection limit. The heavy metals concentrations were less than the
guidelines limit set by the Malaysia Food Regulation 1985.