Chelating agent-assisted extraction of toxic elements towards ensuring food and beverage safety: Advances and challenges

Heavy metals (HMs) pose significant health risks when consumed, necessitating accurate detection and removal strategies. This review surveyed the recent advancements in detecting and extracting HMs from food and beverage matrices, focusing on preconcentration methods and the effectiveness of various chelating agents. Next, several preconcentration methods were discussed, including dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and solid phase extraction (SPE), highlighting their efficiency in isolating metal ions from complex food matrices. Then, the application of various chelating agents, such as dithiocarbamates, phenanthrolines, hydroxyquinolines, and pyridylazo, in the extraction of HMs were discussed based on their selectivity and binding capabilities. By evaluating the mechanisms of action, efficacy, and limitations of various chelating agents, this review surveyed to identify the most effective agents and highlighted areas for extraction of HMs. The review emphasizes recent advances and challenges (advantages, limitations, and research gaps) in the chelating agent-assisted extraction of HMs to ensure food and beverage safety. Finally, future perspectives on applying chelating compounds to remove hazardous metals were evaluated.