Mineral and Microbiological Analysis of Spices and Aromatic Herbs.

Nicola Cicero,Antonello Santini,Teresa Gervasi,Massimo Lucarini,Roberta Tardugno,Filippo Giarratana,Vincenzo Nava,Antonio Macrì,Alessandra Durazzo,Rossella Vadalà

doi:10.3390/foods11040548

Nicola Cicero, Antonello Santini + Show 8 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11040548

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Abstract

Spices and aromatic herbs have always had great historical importance in human nutrition. Their use has been documented for centuries as a rich source of bioactive compounds; they have been used for their health benefits and also for flavoring or coloring food. However, despite the many health properties linked to the use of spices and aromatic herbs, these can represent biological hazards and can contain chemical substances of concern. Certainly, monitoring potential health hazards in spices and aromatic herbs includes microbiological safety and also the content of inorganic substances: both represent a key step. This research aims at monitoring the compliance of various spices and aromatic herbs from a non-European country market (namely: black cumin seeds, Iranian Tokhme Sharbati, clove buds, Shahjeera, Abbaszadeh saffron, organic fenugreek, whole black pepper, cinnamon, Abthul Ahmar (Asario), Ajwan seeds, whole coriander seeds, black sesame seeds, Sabja seeds) with the current European Union (EU) and WHO regulations, when available, regarding mineral and microbiological parameters. In particular, microbiological assays using rapid and conventional methods, and trace mineral determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were performed. Results show the safety of the tested spices, given that the microbiological parameters were within the legal microbiological criteria set by the European Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 and its amendment Regulation (EC) No. 1441/2007. With reference to potentially toxic Cd, Pb, As, Hg, these were within the limits set by the European Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006 and its amendments, Regulation (EU) No. 1317/2021 and Regulation (EU) No. 1323/2021, and WHO. According to EU regulations, for Pb content, 2 samples out of 16 showed values different from the set limits.

Highlights

Spices and aromatic herbs have always had great historical significance in human nutrition and in holistic approaches to health issues
The safety aspects that were explored throughout the study were: (i) microbiological aspects; and (ii) mineral profiles
Concerning the content of potentially toxic minerals (Cd, Pb, As, and Hg), the results showed that all the spices analyzed did not present contamination concerns for cadmium, arsenic, and mercury, as the contents of these three metals were always lower than the permitted limit values established by the European Commission regulation and WHO

Summary

Introduction

Spices and aromatic herbs have always had great historical significance in human nutrition and in holistic approaches to health issues. They were used in ancient times in the food sector, i.e., to flavor and aromatize dishes, and in the medical field, in many religious rituals, and for the preservation of food. Acute or chronic poisonings may occur following heavy metal intake through food. Their bioaccumulation may lead to diverse toxic effects on a variety of body tissues and organs. Heavy metals disrupt cellular events including growth, proliferation, differentiation, damage-repairing processes, and apoptosis [10]

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