Use of an in vitro digestion method to evaluate the bioaccessibility of arsenic in edible seaweed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

Different types of edible seaweeds (Kombu, Wakame, Non and Sea Lettuce) harvested in the Galician coast (Northwestern Spain) were analyzed for total arsenic quantification before and after being cooked following manufacturer's instructions. Furthermore, the total arsenic in the bioaccessible fraction obtained after simulating a human digestion by an in vitro process was determined in those raw and cooked seaweeds. The detection of the target element was performed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) which was equipped with a collision cell to avoid polyatomic interferences. Piperazine-NN-bis (2-ethane-sulfonic acid) disodium (PIPES) buffer solution at a pH of 7.0 and dialysis membranes of 10 kDa molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) were used for intestinal digestion. Accuracy of the method was assessed by analyzing a BCR-279 certified reference material. The accuracy of the in vitro procedures was established by a mass balance study for Nori and Sea Lettuce which led to good accuracy of the whole in vitro process, after statistical evaluation (95% confidence interval). Results showed that the effect of cooking seaweed causes the removal of the element into the cooking water. Dialyzability percentages found in raw seaweed samples were comparable to those found in cooked seaweed, except in the case of Sea Lettuce sample for which a lower dialyzability percentage was found when it was cooked. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.