Bioavailability, bioaccessibility, and speciation of nutrients and inorganic contaminants in meat and fish

Abstract

With activities facing the developed and validation of analytical methods to evaluate the nutritional quality of meat and fish, this proposal aims to provide analytical information to meet the increasingly restricted quality requirements of the product, providing additional information regarding the behavior of the species studied during food processing. The development of different procedures for preparation and analysis of samples will involve particular characteristics to each desired result, such speciation and fractionation chemical analysis in addition to the total contents, bioavailable and bioaccessible fractions of nutrients and inorganic contaminants. The determinations will be performed by mass spectrometry, optical emission spectrometry with argon plasma and microwave induced plasma (ICP-MS, ICP OES, and MIP OES), and ion chromatography (IC). The chromatographic coupling of ICP-MS in the chemical speciation of As, Hg and Cr in fish and shrimp, the determination of organic and inorganic forms of Mo, P and S in sheep meat and the bioaccessible and bioavailable fractions of nutrients and possible contaminants in samples of sheep, tilapia and shrimp will be evaluated. The dialysis and CaCo-2 cellular models will be used for the determination of bioavailable and bioavailable fractions, respectively.The static and dynamic digestion models were compared. The training of human resources, able to develop research activities related to nutritional chemistry is also included in this proposal. The activities will be carried out at Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste by students who work under the guidance of the proponent in the Group of Applied Instrumental Analysis, GAIA (http://www.gaia.ufscar.br). There will be a constant discussion of the stages and activities with researchers who work on the project "Production Chains of Aquaculture in Brazil," focused on the development of structural actions of the fishing chain and with those responsible for the project of crossbreeding of sheep, developed at Embrapa. The results will be presented at congresses and published in the form of regulations, research bulletins, and scientific articles. The proposal presents a transversal characteristic and meets the needs of the legislation, focused on traceability and food quality. The target is to provide subsidies for the establishment of methods for the correct use of laboratory procedures. Improving the quality of the analytical results, it will be possible increase productivity and raise the quality of the products of the sheep and fish meat chains, such as the increase of efficiency in the use of the inputs, the improvement of nutritional quality and the reduction of anti-nutritional or toxic factors. (AU)