About this Research Topic
Metal(loid)s play an important role in promoting sustainable development of ecological agriculture. Both natural processes and human industrial activities are resulting in the release of toxic metal(loid)s into the environment. Toxic metal(loid)s present in the environment can have a detrimental impact on crop growth, leading to reduced yield and quality. This not only hinders the long-term development of agriculture but also poses a threat to food safety. Metal(loid)s accumulation in the human body primarily occurs through food consumption, and it may lead to various diseases. In turn, the absence of certain beneficial metal(loid)s in the environment poses a challenge to their bioaccumulation in food. Furthermore, the lack of essential elements within the human body may also cause some diseases. At the same time, metal(loid)s-based nanomaterials have demonstrated exceptional utility in the food industry in recent years. Accordingly, it is crucial to critically assess the potential risks and benefits of metal(loid)s in food industries and their proper utilization and control to ensure food safety.
The goal of this Research Topic is to disclose the threats to food safety posed by the contamination of soil or water with toxic metalloids, identify novel technologies for controlling toxic metalloids or enriching beneficial metal(loid)s, reveal the application of metalloids-based materials in food, and raise awareness about the nutritional and safety aspects of metal(loid)s. The application of modern testing and molecular technologies in analyzing food metal(loid)s will open new avenues for uncovering novel interactions between environment, food, and human health functions. It will increase our understanding of metal(loid)s, not only as typical risk factors or food nutrients but also as complex compounds with direct human health effects.
We welcome submissions of different types of manuscripts, including original research papers, reviews, and mini reviews. Highly interdisciplinary quality studies in metal(loid)s risk assessment and health function evaluation are especially welcome. Topics include but are not limited to:
- Monitor or control harmful metal(loid)s in the environment and foods, such as cadmium, arsenic, chromium, lead, and antimony.
- Enriching food with beneficial elements such as selenium and strontium.
- Metal(loid)s (such as copper, zinc, and selenium)-based materials applied in the food industry.
- Nutritional benefits and safety evaluation of metal(loid)s in foods.
The goal of this Research Topic is to disclose the threats to food safety posed by the contamination of soil or water with toxic metalloids, identify novel technologies for controlling toxic metalloids or enriching beneficial metal(loid)s, reveal the application of metalloids-based materials in food, and raise awareness about the nutritional and safety aspects of metal(loid)s. The application of modern testing and molecular technologies in analyzing food metal(loid)s will open new avenues for uncovering novel interactions between environment, food, and human health functions. It will increase our understanding of metal(loid)s, not only as typical risk factors or food nutrients but also as complex compounds with direct human health effects.
We welcome submissions of different types of manuscripts, including original research papers, reviews, and mini reviews. Highly interdisciplinary quality studies in metal(loid)s risk assessment and health function evaluation are especially welcome. Topics include but are not limited to:
- Monitor or control harmful metal(loid)s in the environment and foods, such as cadmium, arsenic, chromium, lead, and antimony.
- Enriching food with beneficial elements such as selenium and strontium.
- Metal(loid)s (such as copper, zinc, and selenium)-based materials applied in the food industry.
- Nutritional benefits and safety evaluation of metal(loid)s in foods.
Keywords: Metal(loid)s, Prevention and control, Enrichment, Monitor, Materials, Nutrition
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
