Toxic Substance in Various Food Products in Saudi Arabia: A Review of Evidenced

Khalid M. Almutairi

Department of Community Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11433.

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bbra/1166

ABSTRACT: This review aim to search and summarize available evidence of Heavy metals, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in various food products in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Different electronic databases were searched (Web of Science, Google Scholar, Pub Med and Science Direct) with keywords. Included studies show evidence of toxic substance in food products from different location in KSA. The included studies was consulted and seen by a specialist. A total of eight studies determined evidence of presence of toxic substance in various food products in KSA.Three studies determined concentration of Mercury, Cadmium, and Lead. Two studies examined levels of PAHs in vegetables and fish and also three studies measure levels of OCPs in chicken and vegetables from different cities in KSA. Overall, leafy vegetables contained the highest levels of heavy metals and OCPs whilepotato was biggest source of PAHs exposure followed by eggplant and carrot. Even though few studies met the inclusion criteria for this review, evidence of toxic substance in various products in KSA are showed in this review study. Araise concern for monitoring and further studies of toxic substance in food products are needed.

KEYWORDS: Toxic substance; OCPs; PAHs; Heavy metals; Saudi Arabia

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