The Effect of Microwave Oven Extraction Temperature, Time, and Power Optimization on the Determination of Heavy...

This paper investigates the concentrations of heavy metals in apricots, which are widely consumed as food and may pose serious health risks when exceeding permissible limits. The elements analyzed included lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg). The effects of microwave optimization digestion (MWOD) parameters, including temperature (tp), time (tm), and power (pw), on the extraction efficiency of these elements were systematically evaluated in apricot kernel (K), kernel shell (S), and flesh (F) samples. Microwave digestion was performed according to EPA Methods 3051A and 3052. Following digestion and complete solubilization, the concentrations of heavy metals were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The highest concentrations of Cd and Hg in apricot flesh were found to be 25.49 μg kg^-1 and 14.21 μg kg^-1 under optimized digestion conditions of 1000 W at 220 °C for 20 min and 800 W at 220 °C for 20 min, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a strong positive relationship between Zn and Cu under the applied digestion conditions. The accuracy and reliability of the analytical results were validated using the certified reference material BCR-414 (plankton). In addition, the potential health risks associated with the detected heavy metals were assessed using Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) and Hazard Quotient (HQ) models. The optimization of microwave digestion parameters significantly influenced extraction efficiency, and the combined use of optimized digestion and ICP-MS analysis enabled reliable identification and quantification of toxic elements in different apricot partitions.