Diverse elements in herbal tea products consumed in serbia using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Abstract

Nine elements (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, As, Cd, Sn, Hg, and Pb) were determined in 8 teas and 25 herbal teas widely consumed in Serbia for medical purposes. Green, black, peppermint, chamomile, cranberry, sage, rosehip, uva, senna, marigold, and fennel teas were investigated. Microwave-assisted acid digestion was used for all of the samples, and the element contents were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. From all of the determined microelements, the highest content was that of Mn, 2912.8 and 2541.8 mg/kg of dry matter in the black and green tea, respectively. The contents of toxic elements (As, Cd, and Pb) were below the maximum permissible levels, except for one brand of peppermint tea in which the level of Cd was 8.61 mg/kg, much higher than the allowed 0.3 mg/kg.