Leaching of aluminium from aluminium dishes and packages

A study was carried out of the leaching of aluminium from aluminium cooking vessels and packages. Very small or undetectable levels of aluminium leached from packaging materials into foodstuffs. In boiling tests with neutral porridge no migration of aluminium into the test matrix was observed from the pan. When boiling milk, the leaching of aluminium was 0·2–0·8 mg/kg. The aluminium content of tap water in aluminium pans when reaching boiling point was 0.54–4.3 mg/1 and increased with increasing boiling time to 6.3–17 mg/1. Aluminium dissolved in foods based on acidic fruit juice rose to levels of 2.9–35 mg/kg when the foods were boiled in aluminium pans. Steaming of currant berries in an aluminium vessel gave aluminium concentrations of 19–77 mg/kg in the resulting juice. The highest aluminium concentration of 170 mg/kg was measured in rhubarb juice prepared in the steaming vessel. Aluminium dissolved in water to levels of 0.81–1.4 mg/1 when heated for the first time in new coffee percolators. The aluminium concentration of water heated in older percolators was 0.09–0.78 mg/1.