Physicochemical Properties, Trace Elements, and Health Risk Assessment of Edible Vegetable Oils Consumed in Romania

The concentrations of trace elements (Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, Ni, Co, and Mn) and physicochemical parameters of eight types of edible vegetable oils (obtained from a local market in Romania) were determined using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) and Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) standard methods. The values of the physicochemical parameters show that most of the oils analyzed were within the limits established by the Codex Standards for Edible Oils, with a few exceptions (walnut oil acidity 2.080 mg/g; iodine value 72.7 g/100 g). The concentration of metals such as Cr, Ni, Co, Mn, and Cd were found to be within acceptable limits set by FAO/OMS (2002) in the edible vegetable oils, except for Cu (blend oil 0.627 mg/kg; organic extra virgin oil 0.312 mg/kg) and Pb (rice oil 0.217 mg/kg). The results obtained after health risk assessments and incremental lifetime cancer risk calculations showed that their values do not pose a health hazard, but continuous monitoring can provide data on the quality of edible vegetable oils for local consumers. A statistical test at the 0.1 probability level (p < 0.1) was used to determine the degree of association between pairs of the variables. The data corresponding to the correlation coefficients for physicochemical parameters and different metals show significant and insignificant positive/negative correlations.