Determination of heavy metals in vended Indian street foods: Application of advanced multivariate analysis

The consumption of street foods is a popular and convenient option in India. However, street foods are often prepared in unhygienic conditions and are susceptible to contamination by heavy metals (HMs), which can be harmful to human health. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the levels of HMs in Indian street foods and assess the associated health risks. Additionally, we employed multivariate statistical tools to categorize the samples based on their contamination levels. The results revealed high levels of HMs in street foods, except for arsenic (As), which was found to be below the limit of detection (≤10 µg/kg). The estimated daily intake (mg/kg/day) of HMs in street-vended food items ranged from 0.0052 to 0.4244. The target hazard quotient and hazard index values of the analyzed metals in the street-vended food items were all found to be < 1, indicating no significant health threat to consumers. In conclusion, regular monitoring of heavy metal concentrations in street-vended food items is necessary to identify potential health risks and ensure that consumers are not exposed to any carcinogenic hazards.