Contamination of processed meat by chemicals, either by addition for enhancing the product quality or contamination during the manufacturing process, is a crucial food safety issue that threatens human health. In our study, 20 samples of each sausage, pastirma and luncheon were collected and prepared for detection of chemical contaminants including nitrite, lead, cadmium, phosphorus and phosphate. Pastirma was significantly the highest nitrite and lead levels (163.65±22.633 and 0.805±0.173 ppm) and the lowest levels in phosphorus and phosphate (2.294±0.19 and 9.084±0.755 g/kg) whereas sausage recorded the highest concentration of cadmium (0.073±0 .008 ppm), phosphorus and phosphate (13.268±1.129 and 52.54±4.472 g/kg, respectively). However, the estimation of nitrite, lead, cadmium and phosphate levels in sausage, pastirma and luncheon were considered within the acceptable daily intake. Moreover, Target Hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) of all analyzed chemical contaminants in different processed meat were below one, indicating the safety during the consumption of these meat products without any danger to human health. The probability of developing cancer was measured using carcinogenic risk (CR) where pastirma and luncheon recorded satisfactory levels away from developing cancer because of lead (4.59E-04 and 1.87E-04, respectively) and cadmium (7.60E-04 and 3.80E-04, respectively) contamination. Surprisingly, the cadmium level in sausage samples represented a relevant carcinogenic risk for consumers (1.90E-03). In conclusion, periodical surveillance of meat chemical contaminants is a vital issue for human health maintenance.
Key words: carcinogenic risk, chemical contaminants, hazard index, meat products and target hazard quotient.
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