Decrease of arsenic in edible brown algae Hijikia fusiforme by the cooking process

• Published in: Applied organometallic chemistry Vol. 20; no. 9; pp. 585 - 590
• Main Authors: Ichikawa, Satoshi, Kamoshida, Michiko, Hanaoka, Ken'ichi, Hamano, Megumi, Maitani, Tamio, Kaise, Toshikazu
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.09.2006; Wiley
• Subjects: Analytical chemistry; Animal, plant, fungal and microbial proteins, edible seaweeds and food yeasts; arsenic; arsenosugar; Biological and medical sciences; Chemistry; Chromatographic methods and physical methods associated with chromatography; cooking process; Exact sciences and technology; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hijikia fusiforme; HPLC/ICP-MS; marine food; Other chromatographic methods; seaweed; Biological fluid; cooking process; Chemical analysis; Cooking; Arsenic; HPLC chromatography; Biological material; Marine environment; Heterokontophyta; Feces; HPLC/ICP-MS; Speciation; Thallophyta; Food; Phaeophyceae; Urine; Hijikia fusiforme; Algae; Rodentia; seaweed; Oside; Organic arsenic compounds; Arsenosugar; Edible alga; Vertebrata; Mammalia; ICP mass spectroscopy; Mouse; Animal; Plant origin; marine food
• ISSN: 0268-2605; 1099-0739
• DOI: 10.1002/aoc.1102

A type of edible sea brown algae, Hijikia fusiforme, contains a high concentration of inorganic arsenic. In July 2004, the British Food Standard Agency (FSA) advised people not to eat a type of seaweed called Hijiki because it contained high levels of arsenic. We examined the removal of inorganic arsenic compounds in H. fusiforme by performing a soaking procedure with pure water, and the excretion of arsenic contained in Hijiki was investigated in mice. The total arsenic was measured by hydride generation–atomic absorption spectrometry (HG‐AAS), and the speciation analysis of arsenic was monitored by high‐performance liquid chromatograph coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC/ICP‐MS). It was observed that 28.2–58.8% (w/w) of the total arsenic in edible alga H. fusiforme was eluted with water, and 49.3–60.5% (w/w) of arsenic in the residue of Hijiki was dissolved by cooking. Thus, 88.7–91.5% (w/w) of arsenic in Hijiki is removable by the cooking process. When Hijiki was given to mice, dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA) was mainly metabolized in urine. It became evident that soaking with water and cooking are effective for removing arsenic in edible brown algae. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. A type of edible brown algae, Hijikia fusiforme, contains a high amount of inorganic arsenic. The arsenic compound in Hijiki was removed by the Japanese cooking method, and the excretion of arsenic in Hijiki was also examined with mice. The speciation analysis of arsenic was measured by HPLC/ICP‐MS system.