Abstract
Black pepper is one of the most consumed spices worldwide and the evaluation of trace elements content is essential to promote consumer safety. In this study, concentrations of the elements As, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, V and Zn was determined in samples of black peppercorn (n = 25) and ground black pepper (n = 25) to verify how processing affects element concentrations. The elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and flame atomic absorption spectrometry. A principal component analysis showed that Fe, Pb and V was influenced by the processing and ground black pepper samples showed higher levels for these elements than black peppercorn. Although specific legislation for spices is not available in Brazil, results indicated that Pb concentrations in two brands of the processed samples under investigation exceeded the maximum level established by Brazilian and European legislation for vegetables and fruits. These results point to the necessity to control the processing of the black pepper, especially the grinding step.
Highlights
Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is one of the most consumed spices worldwide
The accuracy of the analytical methods was verified through addition and recovery tests and the analysis of the tomato leaf Agro C1003a certified reference material
The additions were done prior to sample decomposition in order to obtain solutions with 5, 10 and 100 μg L-1 of the elements to be determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and 0.25 and 2.5 mg L-1 of the elements to be determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F AAS)
Summary
Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is one of the most consumed spices worldwide. Black pepper is very much applied in natural medicine, due to its therapeutic properties.[1] Brazil is one of the world’s largest pepper producers, and almost all of the pepper produced in the country is destined for the foreign market.[2] The Brazilian production of black pepper in the year of 2017 was about 79,371 Mt and in the first half of 2018, Brazil was the second largest exporter of this spice representing approximately 16% (31,000 Mt) of the total market.[3,4]. The pepper culture has great social and economic importance for the country and the quality control of this spice is essential to promote consumer safety, evaluating the presence of potentially toxic contaminants, such as certain metals.
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