Re: foodsite -- contaminants in calves liver

[Guest guest]

This study, while concerning a particular case, indicates that toxin

accumulation in calves liver can be 3 to 10 times higher than in the meat:

Some toxic elements in liver, kidney and meat from calves slaughtered

in Asturias (Northern Spain)

Journal European Food Research and Technology

Publisher Springer Berlin / Heidelberg

ISSN 1438-2377 (Print) 1438-2385 (Online)

Issue Volume 216, Number 4 / April, 2003

DOI 10.1007/s00217-002-0658-z

Pages 284-289

Subject Collection Chemistry and Materials Science

SpringerLink Date Thursday, February 19, 2004

Marta Miranda, Marta López-Alonso, Cristina Castillo, Joaquín

Hernández, Felipe Prieto, José Benedito

1Departamento de Patoloxía Animal, Facultade de Veterinaria,

Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002, Lugo, Spain

2Departamento de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Veterinaria,

Universidad de León, Spain

Abstract

Asturias is a region in Northern Spain that contains a large

coal-mining and industrial area. In addition to this, in the past this

region had important mercury-mining activities that caused the

dispersion of heavy metals and the semimetal arsenic into the

environment. Grazing cattle were exposed to the contamination and were

an important source of food for humans. Thus, the aim of this study

has been to investigate the levels of certain metals in calves raised

in Asturias and to compare them with the levels reported in other

studies and with the maximum tolerance levels in products for human

consumption. Lead, mercury and arsenic concentrations in the liver,

kidney and meat from 312 calves aged 6-12 months were collected from

the whole region. The average wet weight concentrations in liver,

kidney and meat respectively were 34.5, 34.6, 11.1 wg/kg for lead,

1.67, 8.10, 0.475 wg/kg for mercury and 49.6, 66.3, 4.46 wg/kg for

arsenic. Metal concentrations in calves were generally low in Asturias

and similar to those reported in unpolluted areas of Europe,

Australia, USA and Canada, and much lower (10-20 times) than those

reported in other polluted areas. Concentrations of these metals in

Asturian calves rarely exceeded the maximum tolerance levels in

products for human consumption.

> >

> > Hi Dave:

> >

> > As the devil's advocate I would like to make the point that,

> > although the amount of beef in general and liver in particular that

> > I eat is small, it is simply loaded with a startlingly wide range of

> > micronutrients compared with all other beef products.

> >

> > For example, one can get all the B-12 one needs from one ounce of

> > beef liver a week! (sic) But many other nutrients are also

> > available in surprisingly large quantities in beef liver.

> >

> > This may not be totally surprising as one of the major functions of

> > the liver is the storage of nutrients for future needs. I cook

> > liver periodically for my cat, and cannot resist sneaking a small

> > piece of two and hope he doesn't catch me doing it ; ^ )))

> >

> > The best advice probably is: don't eat a lot of it.

> >

> > Rodney.

>