TRACE-ELEMENT REFERENCE VALUES IN TISSUES FROM INHABITANTS OF THE EUROPEAN-COMMUNITY .4. INFLUENCE OF DIETARY FACTORS

In order to assess the importance of beverages as a dietary factor in influencing the establishment of trace element reference values in body fluids and tissues of the general population, elements were determined in table wines, mineral waters, beers, ready-to-drink-infusion of tea and instant coffees consumed by Italians. The study was carried out by a combination of spectrochemical and nuclear techniques, including graphite furnace and hydride generation atomic absorption spectroscopy (GF-AAS, HG-AAS), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) as well as neutron activation analysis (NAA). In the absence of certified reference materials the control of the accuracy was performed by determining each element with at least two independent analytical techniques. The results were considered satisfactory for differences lower than 10%, 20% and 30% for analyte concentration > 100 mug l-1, in the range 10-100 mug l-1 and < 10 mug l-1, respectively. B, Rb and Zn followed by Al, Cu, Mn and Sr were the elements with the highest concentrations, from milligrams to hundreds of micrograms per litre, in wines; B and Sr in mineral waters Al, B, Mn, Rb and Sr in beers; Al, B, Mn, Rb. Sr and Zn in tea infusions; Cu, Mn and Rb in instant coffees. Beverages can significantly contribute to the total dietary intake of elements such as Ag, B, Ba, Co, Li, Mn, Ni, Rb, Sb, Sc, Th, TI, U, V and W. The elemental analysis performed here is of interest for making forecasts on elements which are expected to fluctuate in biological fluids of the general population who consume different beverages.