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Trace element measurement for assessment of dog food safety

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Abstract

The quality of dog diets depends on adequate ingredients capable of providing optimal nutrition and free of contaminants, for promoting long-term health. Trace elements in 95 samples of dry food for dog puppies (n = 32) and adults (n = 63) of various brands were measured using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). The mass fractions of most elements were within the permissible limits for dogs. Aluminum, antimony, and uranium presented fairly high levels in some samples, which may imply health risks. Aluminum mass fractions ranged from <21 to 11,900 mg/kg, in same brand, super-premium dog food. Antimony mass fractions ranged up to 5.14 mg/kg, with the highest values measured in six samples of dog food from the same producer. The mass fractions of uranium was found up to 4 mg/kg in commercial brands from five different producers.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the State of São Paulo Research Foundation—FAPESP for financial support (Process 10/52425-7).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de São Paulo, P.O. Box 96, Piracicaba, 13416-970, Brazil

    Elisabete A. De Nadai Fernandes, Camila Elias & Márcio Arruda Bacchi

  2. Reactor Institute Delft, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629JB, Delft, The Netherlands

    Peter Bode

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  1. Elisabete A. De Nadai Fernandes
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  2. Camila Elias
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  3. Márcio Arruda Bacchi
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  4. Peter Bode
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Correspondence to Elisabete A. De Nadai Fernandes.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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De Nadai Fernandes, E.A., Elias, C., Bacchi, M.A. et al. Trace element measurement for assessment of dog food safety. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 2045–2050 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8541-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8541-4

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