Levels of Heavy Metals and Ochratoxin A in Medicinal Plants Commercialized in Turkey.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the levels of Pb, Cd, and OTA in frequently used medicinal plants. Twenty-one samples of linden, chamomile, and sage were obtained during the spring and summer period of 2016 from local markets and traditional bazaars in İstanbul, Turkey. Microwave-assisted digestion was applied for the preparation of the samples and the ICP-OES was used for the determination of Pb and Cd. Determination of OTA was performed using HPLC-FLD after immunoaffinity column clean-up. OTA was detected in only one chamomile sample with a low concentration level of 0.034 µg/kg. According to the results of ICP-OES analysis, Pb in the concentration range of 4.125-6.487 mg/kg, 3.123-5.769 mg/kg and 3.229-5.985 mg/kg and Cd in the concentration range of 0.324-0.524 mg/kg, 0.365-0.51 mg/kg and 0.321-0.474 mg/kg was found in linden, chamomile, and sage teas, respectively. We indicated that levels of Pb and OTA were found below the maximum permissible level whereas high levels of Cd were observed in medicinal plants, which may not pose a health risk for consumers according to the exposure assessment. However, it is suggested that other mycotoxins and heavy metal contents should be carefully considered in medicinal plants.