Assessment of heavy metals and their human health risks in selected spices from South Africa.

Toxicol Rep

Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, School of Science and Technology, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Ga-Rankuwa 0208, South Africa.

Published: December 2023

The concerns of food safety are rising in developing countries such as South Africa as a result of heavy metal contamination of culinary herbs and spices. Spices and herbs are used for therapeutic purposes as well as flavoring and coloring food. Heavy metals in spices represent significant health risks due to their high toxicity in high quantities. A total of 20 spices samples were purchased from different registered shops, for heavy metals analysis. The samples were prepared, digested, and analyzed with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). To ensure the method's accuracy, Polish Certified Reference Mixed Polish Herbs (INCT-MPH-2) from the Food and Drugs Control Center, Poland, was analyzed. The concentrations of Fe (32.22 ± 1.22-131.1 ± 3.26 mg/kg), As (ND to 0.12 ± 0.04 mg/kg), Cr (0.08 ± 0.01-3.2 ± 0.09 mg/kg), Pb (N.D - 0.21 ± 0.02 mg/kg) and Cd (ND to 0.14 ± 0.08 mg/kg) mg/kg were measured. The results revealed that the concentrations of Cr in all spice samples tested were much higher than the Maximum permissible limit (MPL) values. All spices in this study had THQ and HI values less than one, indicating that consumers will experience no potential health hazards from consuming specific metals through spices. However, continual scrutiny should be maintained.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10502432PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2023.09.008DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

heavy metals
12
health risks
8
south africa
8
metals spices
8
spices
7
assessment heavy
4
metals
4
metals human
4
human health
4
risks selected
4

Similar Publications

Identifying and quantifying the dominant factors influencing heavy metal (HM) pollution sources are essential for maintaining soil ecological health and implementing effective pollution control measures. This study analyzed soil HM samples from 53 different land use types in Jiaozuo City, Henan Province, China. Pollution sources were identified using Absolute Principal Component Score (APCS), with 8 anthropogenic factors, 9 natural factors, and 4 soil physicochemical properties mapped using Geographic Information System (GIS) kernel density estimation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Gold (or electrum) in hydrothermal fluid precipitates directly from gold sulfide complex and/or partly via suspended nanoparticles. The hydrothermal fluid contains "invisible gold" that is atomically dispersed in sulfide minerals or as nanoparticles with a size of less than 10 nm. However, the contribution of these gold nanoparticles to the formation of native gold and its alloy with silver (electrum) remains unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Seizure detection via reservoir computing in MoS-based charge trap memory devices.

Sci Adv

January 2025

Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano and IU.NET, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy.

Neurological disorders are a substantial global health burden, affecting millions of people worldwide. A key challenge in developing effective treatments and preventive measures is the realization of low-power wearable systems with early detection capabilities. Traditional strategies rely on machine learning algorithms, but their computational demands often exceed what miniaturized systems can provide.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Anaerobic Adhesive Effect on the Counter-Torque of Zirconia Implant Abutment Screws: In Vitro Study.

Clin Implant Dent Relat Res

February 2025

Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Introduction: Implantology has become a primary solution for tooth loss due to excellent osseointegration and high long-term success rates. However, complications such as abutment screw loosening, especially in implant-supported single crowns, compromise prosthesis longevity. Anaerobic adhesives (AAs) have shown promise in mechanical fields for preventing screw loosening, but their effectiveness in dental implants, particularly zirconia, remains uncertain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Two versatile yet simple methods, colorimetric and spectrofluorimetric, were utilized for the quantitation of nonchromophore neomycin using silver nanoparticles modified with fluorescein. Fluorescein was excited at 485 nm (emission at 515 nm); when it is deposited on the surface of silver nanoparticles, its fluorescence intensity at 515 nm is quenched. Neomycin restores the fluorescence level at 515 nm by displacing fluorescein from nanoparticle binding sites.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!