Determination of micro and trace element contents in common dried spices and herbs and an assessment of their health risk

We evaluated the potential health risk associated with micro and trace element exposure from the consumption of different dried spices/herbs purchased in the Hungarian market with different country of origin. Contents of eight micro elements (Al, B, Ba, Cu, Fe, Mn, Sr, Zn) and eight trace elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Mo, Ni, Pb, V) in nine commonly consumed dried spices/herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, marjoram, cinnamon, caraway, garlic, rosemary, dill) were determined by ICP-OES and ICP-MS. The most abundant micro elements were Al and Fe, and the most abundant trace elements were Mo and Ni. The highest Al (691 ± 117 μg/g), Fe (984 ± 172 μg/g), Co (643 ± 94 ng/g), Cr (1945 ± 352 ng/g), Pb (1042 ± 146 ng/g) and V (3217 ± 549 ng/g) contents were detected in marjoram samples. Cinnamon samples had the highest Ba (53.6 ± 21.9 μg/g), Mn (215 ± 55 μg/g) and Cd (315 ± 69 ng/g) contents; while the highest Mo (1529 ± 293 ng/g) and Ni (3739 ± 501 ng/g) contents were observed in parsley samples. Rosemary samples had the highest B content (33.4 ± 2.9 μg/g), basil and oregano samples the highest Cu content (17.8 ± 2.3 and 19.3 ± 11 μg/g), basil and marjoram samples the highest Sr content (190 ± 47 and 245 ± 43 μg/g). Lead content was below the limit of detection in some cinnamon, caraway and garlic samples. Very strong positive correlations were determined between Al and Fe (r = 0.98), Al and Cr (r = 0.97), and Mn and Ba (r = 0.92) content. Estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ) and cancer risk (CR) values were calculated for children in three age groups and adults. The EDI was the highest in 2-6 year old children, due to their low body weight; however, the THQ values were below 1 for all elements for which THQ was calculated. Cancer risk values for As and Cd were below 10 −4 . Results indicated that there is only a very small health risk to consumers from consumption of examined spices/herbs at this consumption level.