# Investigation of Element Migration from Aluminum Cooking Pots Using ICP-MS
## 4 Conclusions  
In the present study, we investigated the migration of elements from aluminum cooking pots under various variables. Based on the results obtained in this study, the following conclusions can be drawn:  
* The concentration of elements that migrated to food in actual food samples was significantly influenced by factors such as food acidity, heating time, and the type of aluminum pot used (traditional or pressure cookers). * Aluminum was identified as the major element that migrated from aluminum cooking pots, while other elements, such as iron (Fe), exhibited lower concentrations compared to aluminum. Toxic elements like arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) were present in minor concentrations in the cooked food under all cooking conditions, and their levels were below acceptable limits. * The concentration of aluminum deserves special attention due to its significant variation under various processing variables. Aluminum content increased from 80.17 ug/g to 133.7 ug/g when tomato sauce was added to the food, and a further increase in aluminum concentration (157.9 ug/g) was observed with longer heating times. * There was a noticeable increase in aluminum concentration in the cooked food when aluminum pressure cookers were used, with the highest concentration of aluminum (252.7 ug/g) observed in food cooked with an ACP pressure cooker. * The results obtained for element migration content in food simulants were consistent with those obtained from the actual food samples. * Element migration was observed to significantly increase when applying OM5 tests compared to OM4 due to prolonged heating at 100 \({}^{\circ}\)C.
* Food simulants prepared using the ACP pressure cooker with OM5 test conditions exhibited the highest concentrations of aluminum (249.6 ug/g) and iron (9.868 ug/g). * The concentration of toxic elements in food simulants was minor, and changes after applying OM4 and OM5 tests could be disregarded. * Based on the results of the analysis conducted in this study, the SEM-EDS and XPS techniques are not suitable for quantifying elements that migrated to food samples due to their detection limits. * For daily intake, all elements (Fe, As, Cd, and Pb) in the prepared food samples under various conditions were found to be within safe health limits, except for aluminum, which exceeded the daily intake limit when pressure cookers were used for extended cooking times. It should be noted that experimental conditions such as AC5, AS-5, ACP-5, and APP-5 represented extreme cooking scenarios involving 2 h of cooking at 100 \({}^{\circ}\)C followed by 8 h at 70 \({}^{\circ}\)C.
* To minimize element migration to food, it is recommended to use traditional aluminum cooking pots rather than aluminum pressure cookers for cooking. Furthermore, each cooking cycle using traditional Al pots should not exceed two hours. The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app13241319/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app13241319/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app13241319/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app13241319/s1)), Table S1: Technical specifications of the pot (code: AC) received from manufacturer (1); Table S2: Technical specifications of the pot (code: AS) received from manufacturer (2); Table S3: Technical specifications of the pot (code: ACP) received from manufacturer (3); Table S4: Technical specifications of the pot (code: APP) received from manufacturer (4). Conceptualization, H.R.A., S.M.S. and S.S.; methodology, H.R.A., S.M.S., S.S. and A.E.A.E.A. ; validation, H.R.A. and F.A.A.-M.; formal analysis, H.R.A., S.M.S. and S.S.; investigation, H.R.A., S.M.S., S.S. and F.A.A.-M.; data curation, H.R.A., S.M.S., S.S., A.E.A.E.A. and F.A.A.-M.; writing--original draft preparation, H.R.A. ; writing--review and editing, H.R.A., S.M.S. and S.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.