Non-carcinogenic risk assessment of bread fortified with iron distributed in the retail stage of isfahan city, iran

Abstract

Background: Iron is one of the most important micronutrients in the human diet. Wheat is a staple food in the Iranian food basket. Therefore, fortification of wheat flour with iron is a suitable approach to solve iron deficiency anemia. The present study was designed to evaluate the non-carcinogenic risks of fortified breads with iron. Methods: One hundred and eight samples of wheat flour of Barbaiy, Taftoon, and Lavash breads distributed in the bakeries in Isfahan City, Iran, were selected through random sampling, and the content of iron was determined by spectrophotometer. The average amount of iron was compared with the recommended amount defined by the Iranian Food and Drug Organization. Non-carcinogenic risk assessment of iron in bread was evaluated using the Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) method. Findings: The middle level of iron in flour samples was 60, 53.7, and 74.9 ppm for Barbaiy, Taftoon, and Lavash, respectively. Furthermore, this amount for bread was measured at 48.9?44.8, and 55.15 ppm, respectively. The mean concentration of iron complied with the recommended level set by the Iranian Food and Drug Organization in all types of flour and bread. The health risk assessment showed that there was no non-carcinogenic risk of iron through bread consumption for the group of adults. However, this risk condition was observed for the children's group. Conclusion: Regarding the results of the current study, the amount of iron was in the recommended limit range in the consumed bread. However, the results of the risk assessment showed the risk of non-carcinogenic diseases in children. Therefore, it is recommended that risk assessment studies should perform on determining the limits of elements for enrichment measures so that a suitable amount can be defined for the permissible range without any possible adverse effects on the health of consumers. © 2025, The Author(s).