Abstract
The aim of this study was to provide, for the first time, data on the concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soils and bulbs of elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.) cultivated in Valdichiana, a traditional agricultural area of Tuscany, Italy. Bulbs of elephant garlic and soil samples were collected in four cultivation fields and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine the concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, Tl, U, V, Zn. The concentrations of these PTEs in bulbs and cultivation soils were used to calculate geochemical, ecological and health risk indices. The results of this study suggest that, although bulbs of elephant garlic from the Valdichiana area may present slightly high concentrations of Cd, Ni and Pb, the associated health risk based on the daily intake is absolutely negligible. Cultivation soils had somewhat high Cu concentrations probably due to the diffuse use of Cu-based products in agriculture, but showed overall a very low ecological risk.
Highlights
Tuscany is home to some of the most typical Italian food products [1], which are appreciated for their gastronomic quality
The AdV is currently deeply investigated with the aim of promoting its particular nutraceutical features [2], which are quite different from those of common garlic (Allium sativum L.) [3]
Among the analyzed potentially toxic elements (PTEs), Zn, Cu and Ni showed the highest concentrations in AdV bulbs: 12.9–44.2, 2.4–6.6 and 0.72–8.76 mg/kg dw, respectively (Table 3)
Summary
Tuscany is home to some of the most typical Italian food products [1], which are appreciated for their gastronomic quality. Among them is elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.) cultivated in the Valdichiana area, locally known as “Aglione della Valdichiana” (hereafter, AdV). Bulbs of common garlic are known to accumulate potentially toxic elements (PTEs) such as Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb [4,5,6,7]; this plant is of questionable edibility when cultivated in contaminated soils with uncertain safety [8,9]. An organosulfur compound originated from alliin, has been suggested to be involved in the accumulation process of PTEs in common garlic as a metal-binding molecule [10]. Due to its lower alliin content compared to common garlic, elephant garlic may show a lower capacity to accumulate.
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