title: Arsenic speciation in Japanese rice drinks and condiments.
abstract: Rice has been demonstrated to be one of the major contributors to inorganic arsenic (i-As) intake in humans. However, little is known about rice products as additional source of i-As exposure. In this study, misos, syrups and amazake (a fermented sweet rice drink) produced from rice, barley and millet were analysed for total arsenic (t-As) and a subset of samples were also analyzed for As speciation. Rice based products displayed a higher i-As content than those derived from barley and millet. Most of the t-As in the rice products studied was inorganic (63-83%), the remainder being dimethylarsinic acid. Those who regularly consume rice drinks and condiments, such as the Japanese population and those who follow health conscious diets based on the Japanese cuisine, could reach up to 23% of the World Health Organization's Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake of i-As, by only consuming these kinds of products. This study provides a wide appreciation of how i-As derived from rice based products enters the human diet and how this may be of concern to populations who are already exposed to high levels of i-As through consumption of foods such as rice and seaweed.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Hawthorn Building, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK. asignespastor@dmu.ac.uk
authors.forename: Antonio J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Signes-Pastor
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Deacon
authors.forename: Richard O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: Parvez I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Haris
authors.forename: Angel A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Carbonell-Barrachina
authors.forename: Andrew A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Meharg
mesh_terms: D001151:Arsenic / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001628:Beverages / Q000032:analysis*; D003212:Condiments / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D001467:Hordeum / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D012275:Oryza / Q000737:chemistry*; D008897:Panicum / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001151:Arsenic