Lili He, department head and professor of food science, and director of the Raman, IR, and XRF Spectroscopy core facility, received funding to develop a faster, safer and more affordable way to test for arsenic in foods focusing on high-risk foods such as apple juice and rice products, including infant rice cereal. This three-year project supports the FDA and USDA's Closer to Zero initiative, a national effort to reduce toxic elements in foods eaten by babies and young children.
“Inorganic arsenic is one of the most concerning chemical risks in infant and children’s foods,” He says. “Our goal is to develop a practical testing approach that helps manufacturers and regulators better monitor and reduce exposure.”
He’s team will combine a safer, environmentally friendly chemical process with portable X-ray technology to measure arsenic levels more quickly and at a lower cost. The project includes collaboration with researchers at Texas Woman’s University, who will help validate the method to ensure reliability and reproducibility.