Heavy metal concentrations of some commercial spices available in Libyan markets

Abstract EN

The study examines the concentrations of some heavy metals such as Zinc (Zn), Lead (Pb), Chromium (Cr), Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Aluminum (Al) and Strontium (Sr) present in commonly used spices in Libya using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES).

The study revealed varying amounts of metal concentrations in different spices samples according to the edible part.

The concentration of Zinc (Zn) ranged from 0.001 to 0.04 mg kg-1on dry weight basis, whereas that of Lead (Pb) ranged from 0.001 to 0.004 mg kg-1 .

The concentration level of Chromium (Cr) was from 0.002 to 0.004 mg kg-1while variable levels of Iron were detected ranging from 0.044 to 0.660 mg kg1 .

It was found in the study that there was no risk to health from Zn, Pb, Cr, Cd, Cu, Fe, Al and Sr if the intake of spices was about 20g per day.