Investigating the effect of flavor variation on the concentration of lead and cadmium in potato chips products

Potato chips products are considered highly consumed food around the world especially for children. Therefore, there are concerns about these products because it may contaminated with heavy metals that can accumulate in human body, causing a threat to human health and may cause some diseases. This study was conducted to measure Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) concentrations in these products in four flavors (salted, cheese, hot and barbeque) in three brands (A, B and C) manufactured and consumed in Syria. Samples were digested with wet oxidation method using concentrated nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide, then the concentrations of the mentioned metals were measured with Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (GF-AAS). The results of this study showed that the average concentration of Pb in potato chips are ranged between 0.01448 to 0.18013 mg/kg, and the average concentration of Cd are ranged between 0.03136 to 0.2733mg/kg. The levels of lead and cadmium in potato chips exceeded the acceptable limit according to Codex Alimentarius standards in some samples. Statistical analysis Kruskal-Wallis H test between the four flavors of potato chips shows that the difference in the concentration of Pb and Cd may be due to the difference in flavor in samples (p-value < 0.05).