The presence of bioaccessible potentially-toxic elements in five different brands of temporary tattoos (packaged with bubble gums) aimed at children and three product brands used by young and adult audiences were analyzed in accordance with the Brazilian Organization of Technical Standards (ABNT) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for toy’s safety standards. Bioaccessible barium, copper and strontium were found in the concentration range between 1.78-11.1 μg g-1, 0.0364-0.875 μg g-1, 0.155-9.9 μg g-1, respectively. Bioaccessible lead (2.6 ± 0.1 μg g-1 - 4.36 ± 0.06 μg g-1) and boron (2.14 ± 0.07 - 3.54 ± 0.07 μg g-1) were found in two samples whereas chromium (0.403 ± 0.004 μg g-1) in one sample aimed at children. Bioaccessible aluminum was found in six samples, mostly at products used by children. Other elements whose bioaccessibility was evaluated were Mo (< LOD), Cd (< LOD), V (0.148 ± 0.003 μg g-1) and Co (0.003 - 1.756 μg g-1). All samples met the upper limits permitted by the national toy safety standard, however, chromium, lead, cobalt and barium presented higher bioaccessibility levels than the allowed values by cosmetic regulation that controls products applied directly to the skin.

In this work, the bioaccessibility of Ca, Mg, and Cu in commercial dried fruits was evaluated in vitro, and compared with that in the corresponding fresh fruits. In fresh fruits, the bioaccessibility of Ca was found to be between 72.3 and 92.2%, while Mg bioaccessibility was observed to be in the range 59.5-66.3%. In dried fruits, the bioaccessibility of Mg was approximately 45%, while that of Ca was in the range of 12.2-52%. The average bioaccessibility of Ca in banana (dried fruit) was lower (12.2%) than papaya (22.9%) and apple (52%). In addition, for all samples, Cu content was below the limit of detection (LOD) (1.12 µg g-1), suggesting that Cu is present in the researched fruits in a chemical form that is poorly absorbed by the human body. Considering these results, it is possible to conclude that the bioaccessibility of Ca and Mg was significantly lower in dried fruits than in fresh fruits, whereas Cu bioaccessibility was below the LOD of the method. These results demonstrate that the dehydration process negatively affected the bioaccessibility of all elements evaluated in this study, reducing the amount of nutrients that can be absorbed by the human body.

The determination of essential (B, Ca, Co, Cu, Cr, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, P, S, Se, Si, V, and Zn), non-essential (Al, Ba, Sn, Sr, and Ti), and potentially toxic (As, Cd, and Pb) elements in graviola pulp by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF AAS) is proposed. Samples were digested in a closed-vessel microwave oven. The accuracy of the proposed method was checked by citrus leaves standard reference analysis. Limits of quantification (LOQ) were in the range of 0.039 mg g-1 (Ti) to 22 mg g-1 (K) for ICP OES and 0.011 mg g-1 (Cd) to 0.62 mg g-1 (Se) for GF AAS. According to the recommended dietary reference intake (DRI), graviola pulp can be considered a good source of B, Cu, K, Mg, and Mn. For all analysed samples the concentrations of As, Cd, and Pb were below the LOQ.