Aluminium levels in spices and aromatic herbs

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Spices and aromatic herbs are integral components of the Mediterranean diet.
• Understanding the elemental composition of these food items is essential for public health.
• Aluminium is a common metal whose dietary intake requires monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify aluminium levels in a variety of widely consumed spices and aromatic herbs.
• To assess the potential dietary exposure to aluminium through spice consumption in Spain and the Mediterranean region.
• To validate a reliable analytical method for aluminium determination in complex food matrices.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 72 spice and herb samples using electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectroscopy.
• Sample preparation involved acid (HNO3) and V2O5 mineralization.
• Method validation included accuracy and precision assessments using a certified reference material.

Main Results:

• Aluminium was detected in all analyzed samples, with concentrations ranging from 3.74 to 56.50 microg/g (dry weight).
• The analytical method demonstrated high precision (relative standard deviation: 1.10-4.07%) and accuracy (recovery: 97.90 +/- 1.20%).
• Significant variability in aluminium content was observed across different spice and herb types.

Conclusions:

• Commonly consumed spices and herbs contain varying levels of aluminium.
• The analytical methodology employed is suitable for accurate and precise aluminium determination in food samples.
• Findings contribute to a better understanding of dietary aluminium exposure from spices, particularly within the Mediterranean diet context.