Abstract
Tea is the second most consumed plant worldwide after water and it can be grown in humid climates. Considering the frequency of consumption, it is inevitable for the tea plant to become a very important field of study both in terms of commercial and public health. The tea plant appears in four different forms which are green tea, black tea, oolong tea and white tea depending on the production method. Especially white tea has started to attract the attention of science in recent years due to its antioxidant effect. The aim of this study is to examine radionuclides and elemental concentrations of black and white tea collected from Karadeniz in Turkey. Natural and artificial radionuclides concentrations were determined using gamma-ray spectrometry. 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, 137Cs were detected in both black and white tea samples. Elemental concentrations of the black and white tea were determined using energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs were obtained for black and white tea samples. 226Ra and 137Cs activity concentrations of black tea are higher than white tea however 232Th and 40K activity concentrations of white are higher than black tea. Total dose value of white is higher than black tea.
Highlights
Tea which is the old timer and widely used up drink in the world is very important for society to determine the amount of radioactivity it contains due to the prevalence of consumption (Silva et al, 2020)
The obtained results indicate that 226Ra and 137Cs activity concentrations of black tea are higher than white tea 232Th and 40K activity concentrations of white are higher than black tea
Total annual ingested dose value of white is higher than black tea
Summary
Tea which is the old timer and widely used up drink in the world is very important for society to determine the amount of radioactivity it contains due to the prevalence of consumption (Silva et al, 2020). It is very important to determine the radioactivity concentrations which has been taken from foods. Turkey is among the leading countries in the world in terms of tea consumption. It has been observed that there are very few studies on black and white tea activity concentrations in the literature. Determining the health risks associated with ionizing radiation in black and white tea may be beneficial in preventing the risks that may arise in terms of public health (Silva et al, 2020)
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