[The question of nickel release from stainless steel cooking pots]

Abstract

For three items of foods (rhubarb, spinach, sauerkraut) the possible release of nickel (by means of AAS) was analysed, a release which may be caused by a possible corrosive effect of the concerned (oxalic-, milk-, vinegar-) acids (as well as common salt) within a normal domestic food-preparation. For this analysis stainless steel cooking pots of different manufacturers, various types and in a representative selection and quantity were taken into consideration; the detailed analyses were extended so far that clear statistical evaluations were possible. This method complies regulations for accuracy to determine traces of heavy metal. For all three analysed food-stuffs an identical result was reached that no nickel release from the stainless steel cooking pots into the food was found. Differences of the various stainless steel cooking pots with regard to their surfaces' quality or their origin (manufacturers) were not yielded, either. All detected concentrations of nickel are within the reach of the natural nickel content of the analysed food-stuffs and their amount is even much lower than other food's content of nickel. This leads up to the conclusion that the former view of a possible nickel release of stainless steel cooking pots has to be revised because these assumptions were not confirmed in the presented results of this analysis and therefore have to be regarded as not correct.