Volume 87, January 2016, Pages 113–119
Highlights
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- Trace metal and PCB levels were dependant upon the type and origin of analysed tea.
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- Fe is the most abundant essential metal.
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- Among the tested non essential metals, Pb was the predominant one.
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- PCB levels were low with a profile dominated by low chlorinated congeners.
Abstract
The
objectives of this study were to investigate the trace element (Hg, Cd,
Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni, Fe, Cr and Se) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs)
content of several commercially available brands of green and black tea
marketed in Italy. The concentrations these chemicals were found to be
variable and largely dependent upon the type and brand of analysed tea.
The most abundant element among the essential elements was Fe, followed
by Zn, Cu, Se, Ni and Cr, whereas Pb was the predominant among the
tested nonessential elements followed by Hg and Cd. Assessment based on
several available guidelines showed that element content were low,
except for Hg and Ni. The PCBs concentrations were generally low, with a
homologue profile dominated by low-chlorinated congeners, namely three-
and tetra-PCBs accounting for more than 60% of the total residue. Apart
from trace elements, this is the first study documenting in detail the
concentrations and congener distribution of PCBs in tea samples of
different origin.
Keywords
- Trace elements;
- PCBs;
- Green tea;
- Black tea;
- Italy
Copyright © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
