Bioaccessibility of Fifteen Elements from Dried Fruits by the BARGE (Bioaccessibility Research Group of Europe) Unified Bioaccessibility Method (UBM) and Multivariate Statistical Analysis

The BARGE (Bioaccessibility Research Group of Europe) unified bioaccessibility method (UBM) was applied to assess the bioaccessibility of essential and toxic elements (B, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Mo, and Cd) in 11 dried fruit samples, two certified reference materials, and British Geological Survey guidance material (BGS) 102. The total, UBM gastric, and gastro-intestinal (GI) phase concentrations of elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The accuracy of the methods was verified using BGS 102 for the BARGE UBM and SRM 1573a for total concentrations. The order for mean bioaccessible fractions (BF %) in gastric phase for the dried fruit was Rb (101) > Sr (79) > Mn (59) > Cr (46) > Ni (37) > Fe (36) = Zn (36) > Cu (33) > Co (32) > Al (24) > V (22) > B (19) > Cd (18) > Mo (8) > As (6). Total and bioaccessible concentrations for Mn, Rb, and Sr are significantly and positively correlated with each other. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to classify bioaccessible elements and samples in gastric and GI phases.