Results of the BfR MEAL Study: The food type has a stronger impact on calcium, potassium and phosphorus levels than factors such as seasonality, regionality and type of production

Kristin Schwerbel; Madlen Tüngerthal; Britta Nagl; Birgit Niemann; Carina Drößer; Sophia Bergelt; Katrin Uhlig; Tobias Höpfner; Matthias Greiner; Oliver Lindtner; Irmela Sarvan

doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2022.100221

Results of the BfR MEAL Study: The food type has a stronger impact on calcium, potassium and phosphorus levels than factors such as seasonality, regionality and type of production

Food Chem X. 2022 Jan 19:13:100221. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2022.100221. eCollection 2022 Mar 30.

Affiliation

¹ German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany.

Abstract

The BfR MEAL Study aims to provide representative levels of chemical substances in foods consumed by the population in Germany for dietary exposure assessment. Calcium, potassium and phosphorus (Ca, K, P) are essential to obtain physiological functions in humans. Levels were investigated in 356 foods. Foods were purchased representatively, prepared as typically consumed and pooled before analysis. High mean levels were found in milk, dairy products, legumes, nuts, oilseeds and spices as well as chia seeds (Ca, K, P), chewing gum (Ca) and cocoa powder (K). Different levels comparing organically and conventionally produced foods were determined among others in cereal cracker (puffed), olives and tofu. Higher K levels were found in fried compared to boiled potatoes. Similar P levels were mainly found in regionally and seasonally sampled foods. These data provide a substantially improved basis to address dietary exposure assessment of the population in Germany for Ca, K and P.

Keywords: BLE, Federal Office for Agriculture and Food; BMEL, Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture; BfR MEAL Study; BfR, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment; Ca, Calcium; Calcium; Calcium (PubChem CID5460341); ICP-MS, Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry; K, Potassium; Kg, Kilogram; LOD, Limit of Quantification; LOQ, Limit of Detection; MEAL, Meals for exposure assessment and analysis of foods; Mg, Milligram; NEMONIT, German National Nutrition Monitoring; NVS, German National Nutrition Survey; Organic and conventional type of production; P, Phosphorus; Phosphorus; Phosphorus (PubChem CID5462309); Potassium; Potassium (PubChem CID5462222); Regionality; SD, Standard deviation; Seasonality; TDS, Total diet study; Total diet study; UB, Upper bound; Unprepared and prepared foods; VELS, Verzehrsstudie zur Ermittlung der Lebensmittelaufnahme von Säuglingen und Kleinkindern (a nutrition survey for children); mLB, Modified lower bound; min, Minutes; ml, Milliliters; n, Number; p, P value for significance; v/v, Volume percent; w/w, Weight by weight.