Release of Elements from Disposable Aluminum Cookware During Conventional Cooking with Water
Authors: Binkadem Mona Saad , Akhdhar Abdullah , El-Hady Deia Abd , Alowaifeer Abdullah Mohammed , Almutairi Mohammed Ali , Alnabati Khulood Khalid , Elwakeel Khalid Zaki , Zainy Faten Mohammed Ali , Baeissa Hanadi M , Alhayyani Sultan , Albishri Hassan Mabrook , Al‐Bogami Abdullah Saad , Feldmann Jörg 
Published: May 2024

Background:

Currently, aluminum (Al) cookware is frequently utilized as a container for
food preparation all over the world. The migration of elements from Al cookware can pose a serious
potential health hazard. However, there is a lack of information about the leaching of multi-elements
from Al cookware and their behaviours. A new investigation for leaching of multi-elements from Al
cookware during conventional cooking environments was depicted in the current study.

Methods:

Ten different Al cookware made by different manufacturers were used for simulating
cooking media. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) as a fast, simple and reliable
technique was used to investigate the leaching of multi-elements (34 elements) from Al
cookware. Limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) ranged between 0.001-
0.030 and 0.004-0.100 μg/L, respectively.

Results:

This study revealed that numerous elements, including Al, arsenic (As), chromium (Cr),
copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), lead (Pb), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), magnesium (Mg), nickel (Ni), zinc
(Zn) and vanadium (V) were released from Al cookware during conventional cooking conditions.
Repeatability, reproducibility and recovery values ranged between 0.94 – 4.59% RSD, 1.76-4.71%
RSD, and 96- 109%, respectively. The leaching amounts and behaviours of elements were closely
related to the solution pH and cooking time. At acidic conditions, the concentrations of Al, Pb and
Mn surpass WHO limits. After a 15-minute cooking duration, Al concentrations ranged from 56.8 to
8048 μg/L, which subsequently increased to 1097 – 201423 μg/L after 60 min. Several behaviours of
Al leaching, including an extreme release, a linear release and a low release, were observed among
samples. This could be probably due to the formation of a passivation layer of Al2O3 which prevents
the oxidation of Al. Moreover, Pb and Mn were detected at 14.1–25.8 and 262.5 μg/L after 30 min,
respectively. At neutral media, Al, Cu, As, V, Mg and Zn were quantified among all studied pots.
Further interesting findings are to observe the behaviour leaching of Zn at concentrations of 55-120
μg/L, including a strong release within 30 min in some samples, while others showed a linear dissolution
within 60 min of the cooking process.

Conclusion:

The study provided for the first time a more detailed study of the processes involved in
the release of multi-elements during cooking inside Al cookware compared to the other hitherto published
studies, which is an important insight in the field of food safety and other areas. The cumulative
release of multi-elements from Al cookware could emphasize the importance of assessing the
quality of such cookware, urging a closer examination of its composition and possibly advocating for
potential alterations in the future.

result:

The study revealed that numerous elements, including aluminium (Al), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), lead (Pb), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and vanadium (V) were observed after cooking. Nevertheless, it was interesting to investigate the higher concentrations of Al, Pb, and Mn in all tested acidic solutions than WHO limits in drinking water. The release of Al at different times was obtained, and it was different behaviours of Al releasing for the studied samples. This could be probably something to do with the different layer of passivation layers of Al2O3 which prevents the oxidation of Al. The concentrations of Pb were ranged between 12.4 - 23.4 µg/L after 15 min and increased to 14.1 – 25.8 µg/L after 30 min. Mn was detected at 262.5 µg/L after 30 min and 414.2 µg/L after 60 min, respectively. Further interesting findings are to observe the leaching behaviour of Zn from all tested neutral solutions. Some samples appeared a release of Zn within 30 min contact time, while others showed a linear dissolution within 60 min contact time.