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A Comparison of Heavy Metals in Plant Based and Animal Meats and Fish
Introduction
Plant based meats are manufactured food items with the appearance, texture and taste of animal based meats. They are comprised of plant based protein and other ingredients to create a final product. Pea protein or isolate has become popular as it is a good source of iron and all nine essential amino acids. It was the protein ingredient of all plant based foods in our study. Other ingredients may be added to improve taste, texture, nutrition or color. These ingredients include metals such as Na, K ,Ca, Fe and Zn. Most plants are grown in soil which have some level of heavy metals that are natural in concentration. However some soil is contaminated with much higher concentrations via industrial pollution. Plants uptake metals in soils via the root and vascular system and stored in the leaves. Plants processed into vegan meat products will contribute to the metals concentration. Of particular concern are the heavy metals known as the big four (As, Pb, Cd, Hg) due to their acute toxicity. We will compare the metals results of plant vs animal based meats and fish samples using both ICP-OES and ICP-MS and discuss our findings.
