# Nutritional Quality and Safety Characteristics of Imported Biscuits Markered in Basrah, Iraq
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Heavy Metals of Biscuits Samples
Among heavy metals, lead ranged from 2.07 ug/kg to 29.97 ug/kg and was significantly influenced (\(p<0.05\)) by the \"Country\" variable, while the \"Biscuit type\" variable \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Biscuit Type** & **Zn (mg/kg)** & **Cu (mg/kg)** & **Pb (\(\mu\)g/kg)** & **Cd (\(\mu\)g/kg)** \\ \hline Digestives & & & & \\ BSD1-S & 11.06 \(\pm\) 0.27 & 4.02 \(\pm\) 0.79 & 3.41 \(\pm\) 0.07 & ND \\ BSD2-S & 6.81 \(\pm\) 0.33 & 4.45 \(\pm\) 0.29 & 3.46 \(\pm\) 0.66 & ND \\ BSD3-S & 7.22 \(\pm\) 0.07 & 5.37 \(\pm\) 0.32 & 2.89 \(\pm\) 0.26 & ND \\ BSD1-I & 14.36 \(\pm\) 0.42 & 2.86 \(\pm\) 0.25 & 12.99 \(\pm\) 0.72 & ND \\ BSD2-I & 9.11 \(\pm\) 0.56 & 2.78 \(\pm\) 0.14 & 13.14 \(\pm\) 0.94 & ND \\ BSD3-I & 7.97 \(\pm\) 0.37 & 3.38 \(\pm\) 0.25 & 23.91 \(\pm\) 1.37 & ND \\ BSD1-U & 12.42 \(\pm\) 0.28 & 2.36 \(\pm\) 0.17 & 5.06 \(\pm\) 0.13 & ND \\ BSD2-U & 7.41 \(\pm\) 0.85 & 4.75 \(\pm\) 0.28 & 2.75 \(\pm\) 0.38 & ND \\ BSD3-U & 8.09 \(\pm\) 0.22 & 2.82 \(\pm\) 0.14 & 24.29 \(\pm\) 0.81 & ND \\ BSD1-T & 13.32 \(\pm\) 0.45 & 6.43 \(\pm\) 0.33 & 14.97 \(\pm\) 0.07 & ND \\ BSD2-T & 8.18 \(\pm\) 0.96 & 9.46 \(\pm\) 0.21 & 16.95 \(\pm\) 0.14 & ND \\ BSD3-T & 9.34 \(\pm\) 0.11 & 4.13 \(\pm\) 0.13 & 11.45 \(\pm\) 0.36 & ND \\ Mean cookies & 6.12 \(\pm\) 3.37 & 3.84 \(\pm\) 1.18 & 8.11 \(\pm\) 3.98 & - \\ Mean crackers & 9.14 \(\pm\) 2.25 & 3.31 \(\pm\) 0.98 & 11.24 \(\pm\) 7.12 & - \\ Mean digestive & 9.61 \(\pm\) 2.14 & 4.41 \(\pm\) 1.67 & 11.27 \(\pm\) 6.67 & - \\ Mean Spain & 6.76 \(\pm\) 2.11 & 4.76 \(\pm\) 1.23 & 3.12 \(\pm\) 0.81 & - \\ Mean Iran & 9.92 \(\pm\) 3.08 & 2.94 \(\pm\) 1.09 & 15.35 \(\pm\) 2.12 & - \\ Mean UAE & 7.81 \(\pm\) 2.23 & 3.41 \(\pm\) 1.34 & 8.13 \(\pm\) 3.04 & - \\ Mean Turkey & 8.63 \(\pm\) 1.98 & 4.96 \(\pm\) 1.15 & 14.34 \(\pm\) 1.13 & - \\ EU Limit (Reg. & - & - & 200 & 100 \\
1881/2006) & & Significance of variables and interactions & & \\ “Biscuit type” & NS & NS & NS & - \\ “Country” & NS & NS & \(p<0.05\) & - \\ “Biscuit type” & NS & NS & NS & - \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} BSC: cookie; BSD: digestive; BSCr: Cracker; S = made in Spain; I = made in Iran; U = made in the United Arab Emirates; T = made in Turkey; ND = not detected; NS: Not significant. Values are expressed as mean \(\pm\) standard deviation (\(n=3\)).  
\end{table} 
Table 4: _Cont._and the \"Biscuit type\"Country\" interaction did not exert a significant effect. Biscuits made in Spain showed the lowest lead content. The observed lead content was lower than the levels ascertained by [PERSON] et al. [69] in 114 snack samples consumed in Nigeria and by [PERSON] et al. [70] who analyzed six popular biscuit types consumed in the same country. Cadmium was not detected in any of the biscuit samples, in agreement with [PERSON] et al. [71], who reported that cadmium is absent or extremely low in biscuits from India and Greece [72]. In biscuits marketed in Egypt, instead, the cadmium content was found to reach 0.12 mg/kg [23]. The highest permitted levels of lead and cadmium for cereal grains (not specific to biscuits) are ruled by the EC Reg. 1881/2006 [73], in agreement with the limits set by FAO/WHO [74]. These limits account for a maximum of 0.10 mg/kg for cadmium, and a maximum of 0.20 mg/kg for lead. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), instead, set the permitted limit of 1 mg/kg for food primarily eaten by children [75]. All the examined biscuits showed lead and cadmium levels considerably below the maximum allowed limit set by the European Community, as well as below the limits ruled by the WHO/FAO and US FDA.