title: Determination of minor and trace elements in aromatic spices by micro-wave assisted digestion and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.
abstract: This study aimed at analyzing the concentrations of 23 minor and trace elements in aromatic spices by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), after wet digestion by microwave system. The analytical method was validated by linearity, detection limits, precision, accuracy and recovery experiments, obtaining satisfactory values in all cases. Results indicated the presence of variable amounts of both minor and trace elements in the selected aromatic spices. Manganese was high in cinnamon (879.8 μg/g) followed by cardamom (758.1 μg/g) and clove (649.9 μg/g), strontium and zinc were high in ajwain (489.9 μg/g and 84.95 μg/g, respectively), while copper was high in mango powder (77.68 μg/g). On the whole some of the minor and essential trace elements were found to have good nutritional contribution in accordance to RDA. The levels of toxic trace elements, including As, Cd, and Pb were very low and did not found to pose any threat to consumers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutrition, Chosun University, Gwangju 501-759, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Naeem
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutrition, Chosun University, Gwangju 501-759, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Yeon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutrition, Chosun University, Gwangju 501-759, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Yeong
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Nho
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden 11800, Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Nargis
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jamila
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutrition, Chosun University, Gwangju 501-759, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Girum
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Habte
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutrition, Chosun University, Gwangju 501-759, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Joon Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: World Institute of Kimchi, Gwangju 503-360, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: In Min
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutrition, Chosun University, Gwangju 501-759, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: kskim@chosun.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Kyong Su
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D008872:Microwaves / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017365:Spices / Q000032:analysis*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements
keywords: Aromatic spices; ICP-MS; Minor and trace metals; Pakistan