Heavy metals in Cumin

Provisional scaffold. This page was created automatically on 2026-06-02 so that an ingested source could route to it. Aliases, category, and the contamination profile have not yet been populated. Content below is minimal until a synthesis pass consolidates the literature for this ingredient.

Reason: ingest of sabri2025-moroccan-spices-casablanca-metals declared ingredients/cumin which did not exist

Triggering source: Essential and Toxic Element Profiles in Selected Spices from Greater Casablanca, Morocco

Literature scope

Reported measurements from source notes are below. The contamination profile on this page is still pending. No typical or upper-tail value is calculated here, and no certification limit is stated. Black cumin (Nigella sativa) is labeled as that species when the source measured it.

Reported measurements

Bekalu and colleagues measured Nigella sativa (black cumin) seed, mg/kg dry weight. Dejen: iron 82.90 ± 0.75, copper 9.18 ± 0.22, zinc 55.27 ± 0.33, lead 0.21 ± 0.01, cadmium 0.14 ± 0.007. Gozamen: iron 71.48 ± 1.89, copper 14.39 ± 0.12, zinc 71.15 ± 0.08, lead 0.18 ± 0.02, cadmium 0.12 ± 0.004. Sinan: iron 71.38 ± 1.34, copper 22.24 ± 2.03, zinc 71.25 ± 2.79, lead 0.11 ± 0.005, cadmium 0.09 ± 0.01. These are black cumin seeds, not a separate Cuminum cyminum row. Analysis of Nigella sativa L. (Black Cumin) seeds for levels of heavy metals using FAAS: geospatial profiling and regional safety implications

Mercan Yucel, cumin n=20, mg/kg: nickel 9.12 ± 6.01, total arsenic 0.06 ± 0.05, cadmium 0.20 ± 0.26, lead 1.40 ± 1.86, and aluminum 514.4 ± 537.9. Arsenic was detected only in cumin in that panel, at a mean of 0.06 mg/kg. Determination of Aflatoxin and Heavy Metal Levels in Some Spices Sold as Unpackaged in Van Province and Health Risks Assessment of Heavy Metals

Patel and colleagues, cumin seed, mg/kg: lead not detected, chromium not detected, cadmium not detected, copper 13.675, nickel not detected, zinc 38.55, and iron 201.775. The paper does not report a limit of detection or a limit of quantification, so the non-detects are not zeros. Evaluation of heavy metals in herbal plants growing in Singrauli Region of Madhya Pradesh

Sabri and colleagues, cumin n=25, mg/kg dry weight: lead 0.30 ± 0.15 (0.048 to 0.56), cadmium 0.06 ± 0.02 (0.027 to 0.1), total arsenic 0.45 ± 0.30 (0.026 to 0.986), chromium 2.64 ± 1.14 (0.912 to 4.98), and nickel 4.18 ± 2.85 (0.469 to 8.979). Macro elements: potassium 21.64 ± 1.01 g/kg, calcium 11.13 ± 4.53 g/kg, magnesium 6.86 ± 1.61 g/kg, sodium 3.98 ± 1.59 g/kg, and iron 753.71 ± 446.07 mg/kg. EU spice lead limits in the note are the authors’ citations. The bark limit discussed for cinnamon is not applied to cumin here. The note states cumin lead 0.30 mg/kg is below the authors’ cited seed limit of 0.90 mg/kg. Essential and Toxic Element Profiles in Selected Spices from Greater Casablanca, Morocco

Alam and colleagues, cumin powder: branded lead <0.27 to 2.80 mg/kg, nonbranded lead <0.27 to 5.56 mg/kg. Intake and risk-quotient columns in that note are not concentrations and are not copied. The source DOI is a preprint identifier, 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2087533/v1. Lead Exposure of Four Biologically Important Common Branded and Nonbranded Spices: Relative Analysis and Health Implication

A U.S. House subcommittee staff report records organic cumin at 644.9 ppb lead on 5/21/2018, and additional cumin lots in the 100 to 230 ppb lead range. No brand name is attached to that sentence in the source note. The source note assigns no DOI. Baby Foods Are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury

Microbiome implications

Cumin is a culinary spice used in small amounts. The studies below are lead biomarkers, mouse drinking-water cadmium, infant urinary arsenic, mouse drinking-water arsenic, inorganic arsenate experiments, maternal hair, a hexavalent chromium gavage, and occupational nickel. None of them dosed cumin. A spice specification should not scale a gavage or a hair sample to a pinch of seed.

Eggers et al. 2023 Prenatal lead exposure is negatively associated with the gut microbiome in childhood, per WikiBiome source summary, DOI 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1193919, followed 123 children in the Mexico City PROGRESS cohort. Maternal blood lead means were 33.6 µg/L in the second trimester and 34.9 µg/L in the third. Stool metagenomes at ages 9 to 11 showed lower Bacteroides caccae with lead exposure. Weighted quantile sum regression gave a negative overall mixture effect (beta = -0.17) in both trimesters. The direction is prenatal lead toward the childhood gut microbiota. The summary does not support a lead concentration in food.

Sitarik et al. 2020 Fetal and early postnatal lead exposure measured in teeth associates with infant gut microbiota measured tooth lead and stool microbiota at 1 month and 6 months in 146 maternal-child pairs in the Detroit-area WHEALS cohort. In utero tooth lead was associated with fungal community composition at 1 month. Lead was not associated with overall bacterial community structure. Taxon-level bacterial shifts were higher Collinsella at 1 month, higher Bilophila at 6 months, and lower Bacteroides. The direction is lead exposure toward microbiota composition. Tooth lead is a biomarker, not a concentration in this ingredient.

Zhang et al. 2015 Subchronic Exposure of Mice to Cadmium Perturbs Their Hepatic Energy Metabolism and Gut Microbiome, per WikiBiome source summary, DOI 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.5b00237, gave mice 10 mg/L cadmium in drinking water for 10 weeks. Firmicutes and gamma-proteobacteria decreased in feces after 4 weeks, and Firmicutes decreased in cecum contents after 10 weeks. The direction is cadmium toward gut microbiota, alongside hepatic energy-metabolism changes in the same animals. The summary does not name a food.

Hoen et al. 2018 Sex-specific associations of infants' gut microbiome with arsenic exposure related urinary total arsenic at 6 weeks to stool microbiota in 204 infants in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Urinary total arsenic had median 0.4 µg/L and mean 0.63 µg/L. Feeding-stratified means were 0.5 µg/L in exclusively breastfed infants, 0.9 µg/L in mixed-fed infants, and 1.2 µg/L in formula-only infants. Overall composition was marginally associated with natural-log urinary arsenic after adjustment for feeding and urine specific gravity (pseudo-F 1.85, p = 0.05). The clearest association was in formula-fed males (n = 33, pseudo-F 2.30, p = 0.008). Formula-fed females (n = 23) did not show that association. The direction is an early-life arsenic biomarker toward infant gut microbiota. Urinary arsenic is not a concentration in this ingredient.

Lu et al. 2014 Arsenic Exposure Perturbs the Gut Microbiome and Its Metabolic Profile in Mice: An Integrated Metagenomics and Metabolomics Analysis, per WikiBiome source summary, DOI 10.1289/ehp.1307429, reported that 10 ppm arsenic in drinking water for 4 weeks perturbed gut microbiome composition in C57BL/6 mice and perturbed gut-microflora-related metabolites. The recorded abstract does not name the arsenic species. The direction is arsenic toward microbiota and metabolites. The summary does not support an arsenic concentration in this ingredient.

Coryell et al. 2018 The gut microbiome is required for full protection against acute arsenic toxicity in mouse models, per WikiBiome source summary, DOI 10.1038/s41467-018-07803-9, found that antibiotic-treated and germ-free mice excreted less inorganic arsenate in stool and accumulated more arsenic in organs than controls. The note states p < 0.0001 at 25 ppm inorganic arsenate and p = 0.025 at 100 ppm for that pattern after cefoperazone. Human stool from five donors protected germ-free mice that lack As3mt, and protection differed by donor. The direction is gut microbiota toward arsenic excretion and acute toxicity. Group sizes are not in the note. The doses are drinking-water experiment doses, not a food concentration.

Xiong et al. 2025 Prenatal exposure to trace elements impacts mother-infant gut microbiome, metabolome and resistome during the first year of life, per WikiBiome source summary, DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-60508-8, followed 146 mother-infant pairs, with maternal hair trace elements measured in 119 mothers. Shannon diversity of the infant gut at 3 months correlated positively with selenium and negatively with copper. Bifidobacterium relative abundance increased under high aluminum and high manganese together, so the note does not separate aluminum from manganese. The note states that high copper and arsenic may enrich antibiotic resistance genes. Hair concentrations are not printed. The direction is prenatal trace-element biomarkers toward the infant gut. Hair is not a food sample.

Mu et al. 2023 Seaweed polysaccharide relieves hexavalent chromium-induced gut microbial homeostasis gavaged mice with potassium dichromate at 75 mg/kg for 29 days (n = 60 across three groups). Hexavalent chromium lowered Chao1 diversity from 170.75 ± 15.79 to 87.00 ± 9.55 (p = 0.00029) and Shannon diversity from 4.64 ± 0.68 to 2.64 ± 0.64 (p = 0.0055). Escherichia_Shigella rose from 10.71 percent to 57.75 percent. Seaweed polysaccharide at 200 mg/kg partly reversed the shift. The direction is hexavalent chromium toward gut microbiota. The dose is a gavage dose. It is not a total-chromium concentration in food.

Yang et al. 2023 Nickel exposure induces gut microbiome disorder and serum uric acid elevation compared 109 occupationally nickel-exposed workers with matched controls. Serum nickel in the exposed group was 5.70 ± 3.21 µg/L, serum uric acid was 355.95 ± 67.87 µmol/L, and uric-acid-lowering bacteria, including Lactobacillus and related taxa, were lower. The direction is occupational nickel toward gut microbiota and then toward a host metabolite. Serum nickel is not a concentration in this ingredient.

Study table

What remains uncertain

No study cited here fed cumin. The Lu abstract record does not name arsenic species. Coryell and colleagues used inorganic arsenate in drinking water. Hexavalent chromium at 75 mg/kg by gavage is not total chromium in a spice. The aluminum finding is not separated from manganese. Occupational serum nickel is not nickel in cumin.

References

Works cited in this page’s text, in first-appearance order. See Sources for this page’s source inventory. Each title links to a source record with bibliographic details, reported findings, and document provenance.

1. Essential and Toxic Element Profiles in Selected Spices from Greater Casablanca, MoroccoSabri S, Sabri C, Salam MR, El Mellouli F, Lafram A, Khallouki H, et al. · World’s Veterinary Journal 15(4): 863-881 · 2025 · doi.org/10.54203/scil.2025.wvj88Peer-reviewed
2. Analysis of Nigella sativa L. (Black Cumin) seeds for levels of heavy metals using FAAS: geospatial profiling and regional safety implicationsBekalu Yewbmirt, Kitaw Sintayehu Leshe, Manayia Abere Habtamu, and Asmare Nigus Hunegnaw · Discover Chemistry · 2025 · doi.org/10.1007/s44371-025-00300-1Peer-reviewed
3. Determination of Aflatoxin and Heavy Metal Levels in Some Spices Sold as Unpackaged in Van Province and Health Risks Assessment of Heavy MetalsMercan Yucel U · Balikesir Health Sciences Journal · 2022 · doi.org/10.53424/balikesirsbd.1160866Peer-reviewed
4. Evaluation of heavy metals in herbal plants growing in Singrauli Region of Madhya PradeshSarita Patel, Manisha Pradhan, and Ashish Patel · International Journal of Chemical and Biological Sciences · 2023 · doi.org/10.33545/26646765.2023.v5.i2a.66Peer-reviewed
5. Lead Exposure of Four Biologically Important Common Branded and Nonbranded Spices: Relative Analysis and Health ImplicationAlam M Nur E, Hosen M Mozammal, Maksud M A, Khan S R, Lutfa L N, Choudhury Tasrina Rabia, et al. · Research Square (preprint) · 2022 · doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2087533/v1Preprint
6. Baby Foods Are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and MercuryU.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Reform, Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy · Staff Report · 2021 · oversight.house.govGray literature
7. Prenatal lead exposure is negatively associated with the gut microbiome in childhoodEggers S, Midya V, Bixby M, Gennings C, Torres-Olascoaga LA, Walker RW, et al. · Frontiers in Microbiology · 2023 · doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1193919Peer-reviewed
8. Fetal and early postnatal lead exposure measured in teeth associates with infant gut microbiotaSitarik AR, Arora M, Austin C, Bielak LF, Eggers S, Johnson CC, et al. · Environment International · 2020 · doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.106062Peer-reviewed
9. Subchronic Exposure of Mice to Cadmium Perturbs Their Hepatic Energy Metabolism and Gut MicrobiomeSongbin Zhang, Yuanxiang Jin, Zhaoyang Zeng, Zhenzhen Liu, and Zhengwei Fu · Chemical Research in Toxicology · 2015 · doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrestox.5b00237Peer-reviewed
10. Sex-specific associations of infants’ gut microbiome with arsenic exposureAnne G. Hoen, Juliette C. Madan, Zhigang Li, Modupe Coker, Sara N. Lundgren, Hilary G. Morrison, et al. · Scientific Reports · 2018 · doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30581-9Peer-reviewed
11. Arsenic Exposure Perturbs the Gut Microbiome and Its Metabolic Profile in Mice: An Integrated Metagenomics and Metabolomics AnalysisKun Lu, Ryan Phillip Abo, Katherine Ann Schlieper, Michelle E. Graffam, Stuart Levine, John S. Wishnok, et al. · Environmental Health Perspectives · 2014 · doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1307429Peer-reviewed
12. The gut microbiome is required for full protection against acute arsenic toxicity in mouse modelsCoryell M, McAlpine M, Pinkham NV, McDermott TR, and Walk ST · Nature Communications · 2018 · doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07803-9Peer-reviewed
13. Prenatal exposure to trace elements impacts mother-infant gut microbiome, metabolome and resistome during the first year of lifeXiong S, Xie B, Yin N, Zhu H, Gao H, Xu X, et al. · Nature Communications · 2025 · doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60508-8Peer-reviewed
14. Seaweed polysaccharide relieves hexavalent chromium-induced gut microbial homeostasisMu J, Guo Z, Wang X, Wang X, Fu Y, Li X, et al. · Frontiers in Microbiology · 2023 · doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1100988Peer-reviewed
15. Nickel exposure induces gut microbiome disorder and serum uric acid elevationJinfeng Yang, Pengya Feng, Zhenmin Ling, Aman Khan, Xing Wang, Yanli Chen, et al. · Environmental Pollution, Vol. 324, 121349 · 2023 · doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121349Peer-reviewed

Sources

Source records associated with this topic. Inclusion does not establish that every finding applies to this product or ingredient. References above identify works cited in the text.

Update history

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