Arsenic, lead and cadmium distribution in the pearled fractions of different winter wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum L.)

The pearling of wheat has been proposed as a technology to select intermediate bran fractions that can be employed in the production of functional foods. The aim of the study was to determine the distribution of arsenic, lead and cadmium in the pearled fractions of different types of common wheats in order to identify potential safety threats which may arise from the use of intermediate pearled fractions. Arsenic, lead and cadmium were all found to be mainly concentrated in the outer layers of the kernel, but their distribution varied on an element-specific basis. The concentration of arsenic gradually decreased moving towards the internal layers of the kernel. Whereas, the concentration of lead dropped suddenly after the removal of the first fraction corresponding to 5% of the kernel weight. Cadmium was found to be distributed more uniformly in the grain and, after the removal of 25% of the kernel weight, the residual pearled kernel on average retained 56% of the cadmium detected in the whole grain. A careful selection of the raw material, which should meet specific requirements especially in terms of cadmium contamination, should be made in order to avoid any potential risk for the health of consumers.