Trace elements in ready-to-drink ice tea: Total content, in vitro bioaccessibility and risk assessment

Tea is one of the most consumed non-alcoholic beverages in world and it has been frequently associated to health benefits. Besides its nutrient composition, non-essential trace elements associated with toxic effects may also be present. Ever since food components undergo biotransformation process along gastrointestinal tract after ingestion, it is important to evaluate both total and bioavailable content of trace elements. Therefore, this study aimed to provide comprehensive data concerning the influence of the in vitro digestion on sixteen trace elements present in ready-to-drink ice tea (black, green, mate and white tea). Essential minerals (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Se and Zn) and inorganic contaminants (Al, As, Cd, Li, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn and Sr) contents were determined by ICP OES after microwave acid digestion. Bioaccessibility evaluation was carried out by simulating the gastric (pepsin) and intestinal juice (pancreatin and bile salts) and bioavailability used Caco-2 cells culture as an intestinal epithelial model. Moreover, tannins were evaluated by UV-VIS spectroscopy. Multivariate analysis allowed classifying ice tea samples in three groups, based on their trace elements profile. Al, Cu, Sr, Mn and Zn bioaccessible fractions corresponded to, approximately, 40-60% of their total content. For Mn, bioaccessibility and bioavailability presented the same pattern (green ice tea > black ice tea > mate ice tea) whilst Sr bioavailability in green tea were 50% higher than in black tea samples.