Case of Study: Honey without Bees? Chemical Risks Associated to Sugarcane (Saccharum Officinarum) from Belo Horizonte, Brazil

摘要

Sugarcane is one of the most important of raw materials used in manufactured food products. Its consumption is under public scrutiny for decades, always associated to cavities, obesity and diabetes. Sugary beverage portion sizes have exploded as high as 64 fluid ounces in some fast food chains in the USA. Meanwhile, anthropogenic activities such the application of arsenical pesticides has resulted in elevated (high as 900 g.g~(-6)) levels of arsenic (As) in surface soils in many historic sugar cane areas of Hawaii, USA. To quantify simultaneously many elements as possible, it was applied the well-established nuclear analytical technique of Neutron Activation Analysis. Hazardous elements such As, Br, Na, some RREs (rare earth elements), Rb, Sc and U were detected and quantified in the product.