Effects of cooking process on the level of heavy metal accumulation in vegetables: Literature review

Abstract

People, nowadays, consume vegetables, fruits and herbs contaminating such heavy metals either from polluted air or water sources without awareness on a daily basis. However, some vegetables are regularly consumed after going through the cooking process, while some are eaten freshly. This paper, therefore, gathers information regarding whether cooking methods are able to lower the level of heavy metal in food or not, focusing on vegetables. Finally, It could be concluded that different cooking methods have widely different effects on heavy metal concentration. In other words, some processes potentially minimize certain types of metal, while others may be unable. According to the studies, water is claimed to enhance the reduction of toxic substances concentration through the evaporation, therefore, boiling usually lowers some metal levels, though the change in such levels are not considerable and frequently not that adequate to be healthy. Moreover, there are other ways to eliminate such heavy metals directly in plants, namely flushing, and using DTPA, chemical substances which both are claimed to be potential methods.