{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T13:40:05Z","timestamp":1788961205558,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,6,8]],"date-time":"2018-06-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1528416000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Toxics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Fruits and vegetables are considered a beneficial contribution to the human diet. Especially, berries contain a great deal of bioactive compounds, such as anthocyanins, organic acids, tannins, phenols, and antioxidants. Apart from organic substances, inorganic nutrients are also present in fruits. Some metals and metalloids are essential for humans, whilst others may exhibit harmful effects. Wild grown berries, collected in so-called unpolluted areas, are considered to be free of any potentially toxic ingredients. However, due to transmission processes pollutants can also reach remote areas and, furthermore, metal uptake from the soil via roots has to be taken into account. Thus, the presented study focused on the determination of Al, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb in lingonberries, blueberries, and rose hips collected in a non-polluted area in Croatia. Neither Cd nor Cr could be found in any sample. Ni levels were mainly up to 25 mg\/kg, in a comparable range to the literature data. No health threat is to be expected by eating these fruits and berries regarding Cd, Cr, and Ni. Rose hips, however, contain Pb beyond the stipulated limit in fruits, and also Al is present at a high level (8 mg\/g).<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/toxics6020031","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,6,8]],"date-time":"2018-06-08T11:19:31Z","timestamp":1528456771000},"page":"31","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":20,"title":["Harmful Elements (Al, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb) in Wild Berries and Fruits Collected in Croatia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"6","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1215-7705","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michaela","family":"Zeiner","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Man-Environment-Technology Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, \u00d6rebro University, Gymnastikgatan 1, 70182 \u00d6rebro, Sweden"},{"name":"Division of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, BOKU\u2014University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Iva","family":"Juranovi\u0107 Cindri\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,6,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"475S","DOI":"10.1093\/ajcn\/70.3.475s","article-title":"Health effects of vegetables and fruit: Assessing mechanisms of action in human experimental studies","volume":"70","author":"Lampe","year":"1999","journal-title":"Am. J. Clin. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"627","DOI":"10.1021\/jf071988k","article-title":"Berry Fruits: Compositional Elements, Biochemical Activities, and the Impact of Their Intake on Human Health, Performance, and Disease","volume":"56","author":"Seeram","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"173","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1004972632578","article-title":"Absorption of heavy metals in wild berries and edible mushrooms in an area affected by smelter emissions","volume":"103","author":"Barcan","year":"1998","journal-title":"Water Air Soil Pollut."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"(2018, April 18). Willkommen im Erdbeerland. Available online: www.erdbeerland.at."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"(2018, April 18). Biobeerengarten Hummel. Available online: www.biobeerengarten.at\/."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6896","DOI":"10.1021\/jf0511300","article-title":"Antioxidant Properties of Prepared Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) Extracts","volume":"53","author":"Faria","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1195","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2012.11.004","article-title":"Functional properties and quality characteristics of bioactive compounds in berries: Biochemistry, biotechnology, and genomics\u2014A review","volume":"54","year":"2013","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"777","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2006.06.021","article-title":"Antioxidant capacity, phenol, anthocyanin and ascorbic acid contents in raspberries, blackberries, red currants, gooseberries and Cornelian cherries","volume":"102","author":"Pantelidis","year":"2007","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_9","first-page":"255","article-title":"Total phenolics and total flavonoids in Bulgarian fruits and vegetables","volume":"40","author":"Marinova","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Chem. Technol. Metall."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"134","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nut.2013.04.007","article-title":"Edible berries: Bioactive components and their effect on human health\u2014A review","volume":"30","author":"Nile","year":"2014","journal-title":"Nutrition"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7320","DOI":"10.1021\/jf051333o","article-title":"Phenolic Compounds from Blueberries Can Inhibit Colon Cancer Cell Proliferation and Induce Apoptosis","volume":"53","author":"Yi","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"Chandler, F.B. (1944). Composition and Uses of Blueberries, University of Maine, Maine Agricultural Experiment Station."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"131","DOI":"10.1080\/00015127409433235","article-title":"Mineral Element Composition of Finnish Vegetables, Fruits, and Berries","volume":"24","author":"Koivistoinen","year":"1974","journal-title":"Acta Agric. Scand."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"362","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2014.01.125","article-title":"Determination of the bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity and chemical composition of Brazilian blackberry, red raspberry, strawberry, blueberry and sweet cherry fruits","volume":"156","author":"Pereira","year":"2014","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111","DOI":"10.1080\/01904167.2012.631671","article-title":"Mineral composition of strawberry, mulberry and cherry fruits at different ripening stages as analysed by inductively coupled plasma\u2014Optical emission spectroscopy","volume":"35","author":"Mahmood","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Plant Nutr."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"341","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph14040341","article-title":"Study of the Accumulation of Toxic and Essential Ultra-Trace Elements in Fruits of Sorbus domestica L","volume":"14","author":"Zeiner","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"153","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfca.2017.02.016","article-title":"Evaluation of the inorganic content of six underused wild berries from Portugal: Potential new sources of essential minerals","volume":"59","author":"Castilho","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Food Compos. Anal."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"68","DOI":"10.1515\/chem-2015-0003","article-title":"Relationships between flavonoids and selected elements in infusions of medicinal herbs","volume":"13","author":"Konieczynski","year":"2015","journal-title":"Open Chem."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"233","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ecoenv.2013.11.023","article-title":"Orchards for edible cities: Cadmium and lead content in nuts, berries, pome and stone fruits harvested within the inner city neighbourhoods in Berlin, Germany","volume":"101","year":"2014","journal-title":"Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"53","DOI":"10.1016\/S0048-9697(99)00080-7","article-title":"Multi-element analysis of wild berries from northern Sweden by ICP techniques","volume":"231","author":"Rodushkin","year":"1999","journal-title":"Sci. Total Environ."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"D\u2019Mello, J.P.F. (2003). Food Safety: Contaminants and Toxins, CABI Publishing.","DOI":"10.1079\/9780851996073.0000"},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"World Health Organization (WHO) (2018, April 23). International Programme on Chemical Safety\u2014Health Impacts of Chemicals, Ten Chemicals of Major Public Health Concern. Available online: http:\/\/www.who.int\/ipcs\/assessment\/public_health\/chemicals_phc\/en\/."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.yrtph.2017.03.011","article-title":"Derivation of an oral toxicity reference value for nickel","volume":"87","author":"Haber","year":"2017","journal-title":"Regul. Toxicol. Pharmacol."},{"key":"ref_24","first-page":"115","article-title":"Nickel\u2014Role in human organism and toxic effects","volume":"242","author":"Zdrojewicz","year":"2016","journal-title":"Pol. Med. J."},{"key":"ref_25","unstructured":"(2011, January 21\u201325). FAO\/WHO: Food Standards Programme Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods, Fifth Session. Proceedings of the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants, The Hague, The Netherlands."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"539","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph14050539","article-title":"Inorganic Macro- and Micronutrients in \u201cSuperberries\u201d Black Chokeberries (Aronia melanocarpa) and Related Teas","volume":"14","author":"Zeiner","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfca.2014.12.024","article-title":"Simultaneous determination of 31 elements in foodstuffs by ICP-MS after closed-vessel microwave digestion: Method validation based on the accuracy profile","volume":"41","author":"Chevallier","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Food Compos. Anal."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Boumans, P.W.J.M. (1987). Basic concepts and characteristics of ICP-AES. Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy. Part I. Methodology, Instrumentation, and Performance, Wiley.","DOI":"10.1016\/S0003-2670(00)85363-5"},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1417","DOI":"10.1080\/00032719.2017.1374393","article-title":"Multielement Analysis of South Serbian Strawberry Cultivars by Inductively Coupled Plasma\u2014Optical Emission Spectrometry","volume":"51","year":"2018","journal-title":"Anal. Lett."},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"(2018, April 24). Commission Regulation (EU) No 488\/2014 of 12 May 2014 Amending Regulation (EC) No 1881\/2006 as Regards Maximum Levels of Cadmium in Foodstuffs. Available online: http:\/\/extwprlegs1.fao.org\/docs\/pdf\/eur133613.pdf."},{"key":"ref_31","unstructured":"United States, Environmental Protection Agency, Integrated Risk Information System (US-EPA, IRIS) (2018, April 18). Cadmium, Available online: https:\/\/cfpub.epa.gov\/ncea\/iris2\/chemicalLanding.cfm?substance_nmbr=141."},{"key":"ref_32","unstructured":"United States, Environmental Protection Agency, Integrated Risk Information System (US-EPA, IRIS) (2018, April 18). Chromium(III), Insoluble Salts. Available online: https:\/\/cfpub.epa.gov\/ncea\/iris2\/chemicalLanding.cfm?substance_nmbr=28."},{"key":"ref_33","unstructured":"United States, Environmental Protection Agency, Integrated Risk Information System (US-EPA, IRIS) (2018, April 18). Chromium(VI), Available online: https:\/\/cfpub.epa.gov\/ncea\/iris2\/chemicalLanding.cfm?substance_nmbr=144."},{"key":"ref_34","unstructured":"United States, Environmental Protection Agency, Integrated Risk Information System (US-EPA, IRIS) (2018, April 24). Nickel, Soluble Salts, Available online: https:\/\/cfpub.epa.gov\/ncea\/iris2\/chemicalLanding.cfm?substance_nmbr=271."},{"key":"ref_35","unstructured":"Commission Regulation (EU) No 2015\/1005 of 25 June 2015 Amending Regulation (EC) No. 1881\/2006 as Regards Maximum Levels of Lead in Certain Foodstuffs (2018, April 18). Available online: https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/PDF\/?uri=CELEX:32015R1005&from=EN."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101","DOI":"10.1006\/enrs.2002.4352","article-title":"Aluminum: Impacts and Disease\u2014Review","volume":"89","author":"Nayak","year":"2002","journal-title":"Environ. Res."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"589","DOI":"10.1586\/14737175.2014.915745","article-title":"What is the risk of aluminium as a neurotoxin?","volume":"14","author":"Exley","year":"2014","journal-title":"Expert Rev. Neurother."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"51","DOI":"10.1016\/j.morpho.2015.12.003","article-title":"The toxicity of aluminium in humans","volume":"100","author":"Exley","year":"2016","journal-title":"Morphologie"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1807","DOI":"10.1039\/C3EM00374D","article-title":"Human exposure to aluminium","volume":"15","author":"Exley","year":"2013","journal-title":"Environ. Sci. Process. Impacts."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"82","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2005.04.016","article-title":"Determination of mineral and trace elements in some medicinal herbs and their infusions consumed in Turkey","volume":"359","author":"Erdemoglu","year":"2006","journal-title":"Sci. Total Environ."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2013.09.118","article-title":"Determination of free amino acids and 18 elements in freeze-dried strawberry and blueberry fruit using an Amino Acid Analyzer and ICP-MS with micro-wave digestion","volume":"147","author":"Hua","year":"2014","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tifs.2017.03.001","article-title":"Rose hip as an underutilized functional food: Evidence-based review","volume":"63","author":"Patel","year":"2017","journal-title":"Trends Food Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"83","DOI":"10.1016\/S0048-9697(02)00651-4","article-title":"Arsenic and heavy metal contamination of vegetables grown in Samta village, Bangladesh","volume":"308","author":"Alam","year":"2003","journal-title":"Sci. Total Environ."},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"581","DOI":"10.1080\/13561820701507910","article-title":"Trace element levels in some dried fruit samples from Turkey","volume":"59","author":"Duran","year":"2008","journal-title":"Int. J. Food Sci. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.1108\/00346659910254385","article-title":"Chromium in food, nutrition and health\u2014An introduction","volume":"2","author":"Mutuma","year":"1999","journal-title":"Nutr. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"445","DOI":"10.1152\/ajpregu.1983.244.4.R445","article-title":"Kinetics of trace element chromium(III) in the human body","volume":"244","author":"Lim","year":"1983","journal-title":"Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol."},{"key":"ref_47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"303","DOI":"10.1016\/0889-1575(88)90029-4","article-title":"Chromium content of selected breakfast cereals","volume":"1","author":"Anderson","year":"1988","journal-title":"J. Food Compos. Anal."},{"key":"ref_48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"117","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02784595","article-title":"Dietary chromium intake: Freely chosen diets, institutional diets, and individual diets","volume":"32","author":"Anderson","year":"1992","journal-title":"Biol. Trace Elem. Res."},{"key":"ref_49","unstructured":"Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) (2018, April 24). Toxicological Profile for Nickel, Available online: https:\/\/www.atsdr.cdc.gov\/ToxProfiles\/tp15.pdf."},{"key":"ref_50","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"223","DOI":"10.1007\/s10661-012-2546-8","article-title":"The determination of the extractability of selected elements from agricultural soil","volume":"185","author":"Zeiner","year":"2013","journal-title":"Environ. Monit. Assess."},{"key":"ref_51","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"338","DOI":"10.1007\/s00244-004-0074-4","article-title":"Heavy Metals (Cr, Zn, Ni, V, Pb, Cd) in Lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) and Assessment of Human Exposure in Two Industrial Areas in the Kemi-Tornio Region, Northern Finland","volume":"48","year":"2005","journal-title":"Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol."}],"container-title":["Toxics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2305-6304\/6\/2\/31\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T15:07:56Z","timestamp":1760195276000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2305-6304\/6\/2\/31"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2018,6,8]]},"references-count":51,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,6]]}},"alternative-id":["toxics6020031"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/toxics6020031","relation":{},"ISSN":["2305-6304"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2305-6304","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2018,6,8]]}}}