Abstract
Thirty-nine Arabian and Turkish coffee powder samples purchased from various markets in Saudi Arabia were analyzed by High Pure Germanium (HPGe) gamma spectrometry to determine the activity concentrations of the natural and artificial radionuclides 238U, 226Ra, 232Th, 137Cs, and 40K. All samples, (except for two samples of Turkish coffee) were found to contain a high mean content of 40K, ranging from 839.83 to 1197.11 Bq/kg and from 161.312 to 2411.215 Bq/kg for Arabian and Turkish coffee powders, respectively. The concentrations of 226Ra and 232Th were found to be 2.57 to 10.63 Bq/kg and nondetectable to 8.01 Bq/kg for Arabian coffee and nondetectable to 10.09 Bq/kg and nondetectable to 9.75 Bq/kg for Turkish coffee, respectively. Based on these values, we estimated the potential radiological hazards to consumer health from coffee powder. We determined the radium equivalent, annual effective dose rate, and external and internal hazard for each element, and all were found to be below the limit recommended by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. However, absorbed dose rate values for some samples were higher than the permissible limit. In all samples, the 137Cs concentration was below the detection limit. The average annual committed effective dose values reported in this study were far below the world average value of 0.30 mSv/yr for an individual. In addition, the limit for the threshold consumption rate was calculated. The statistical methods were applied to study the relationship between all the calculated natural radionuclides and their hazard parameters. Results indicated that the use of these types of coffee had no significant radiological health risks. This study may contribute data on coffee powder for formulating regulations related to radiological health care. Key words: Arabian and Turkish coffees, natural radioactivity, radiological hazard parameters.
Highlights
Coffee is one of the most popular and widely consumed beverages in the world, and its consumption is increasing (Roselli et al, 2013)
The activity concentrations of 40K, 238U, 226Ra, and 232Th in Arabian and Turkish coffee powders imported for Saudi markets from different countries were estimated, and the results are summarized in Tables 1 and 2, respectively
The results showed that the radium equivalent lay in the ranges of 77.382 to 114.254 Bq/kg (CA9 and CA5, respectively) for Arabian coffee powder with a mean value 90.595 Bq/kg and from 12.421 to 202.159 Bq/kg for Turkish coffee powder with a mean value of 124.586 Bq/kg
Summary
Coffee is one of the most popular and widely consumed beverages in the world, and its consumption is increasing (Roselli et al, 2013). Coffee is grown in many countries, where the coffee trade has played a crucial role in their economic development (Roselli et al, 2013). Some naturally occurring radioisotopes and other elements present in soil are drawn into the roots of plants via ion channels or specific transporters (Sugiyama et al, 2009; Jibiri et al, 2016). Their distribution throughout the plant tissues depends on their chemical characteristics and several parameters of soil and the plants themselves (Awudu, 2012).
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