Toxic (Al, Cd, and Pb) and trace metal (B, Ba, Cu, Fe, Mn, Sr, and Zn) levels in tissues of slaughtered steers: risk assessment for the consumers

The levels of toxic metals (Al, Cd, Pb) and trace metals (B, Ba, Cu, Fe, Mn, Sr, Zn) were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) in the muscle (sirloin and chuck) and liver from a total of 180 samples of steers (less than 2 years old) (Bos taurus) of foreign and local origin slaughtered on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain). As regards toxic metals, Al was the metal with the highest contents in both tissues of the foreign steers (3.75 mg/kg in the muscle and 55.3 mg/kg in the liver) and the local steers (5.60 mg/kg in the muscle and 8.65 mg/kg in the liver). In conclusion, the present study confirmed that beef is a source of trace elements, mainly Fe and Zn. In addition, the consumption of this type of beef did not show significant intakes of toxic metals (Al, Cd, and Pb) and, therefore, the consumption of the steer muscle and liver does not pose a toxicological risk for Spanish consumers.