Health Risk Assessment of Sudan Dyes, Toxic Elements, and Pesticide Residues in Egyptian Spices

Overview

Ghuniem et al. analyzed Sudan dyes, heavy metals (ICP-MS), and pesticide residues in 80 spice samples (hot chili, paprika, cumin, curry) from five Egyptian governorates. For heavy metals in cumin specifically: lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) were detected in all 20 cumin samples, with mean Pb 0.38 mg/kg and mean Cd 0.18 mg/kg; 5% of cumin samples (1 of 20, value 0.934 mg/kg) exceeded Egyptian and European MPLs for Pb. mercury (Hg) and tin (Sn) were below LOQ in all cumin samples. The study also found that Sudan I dye was detected in all cumin samples (100%), with mean concentration 1.52 mg/kg (range <0.1-14 mg/kg) — this is a food adulteration finding unrelated to heavy metals but relevant to the overall cumin quality-and-safety picture.

Key numbers

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum, n=20, Egypt market) — mean concentrations (mg/kg, ICP-MS):

Sudan dye adulteration in cumin (note: not heavy metals, included for completeness):

• Sudan I: detected in 100% of cumin samples; mean 1.52 mg/kg (range <0.1-14 mg/kg)
• Sudan II: 35% of samples quantifiable; mean range 0.1 mg/kg
• Sudan IV: detected in some cumin samples; max 13 mg/kg
• Para Red, Sudan 7b: not detected

Pesticide residues in cumin (Table 5): 100% of cumin samples contained detectable pesticide residues.

LODs/LOQs (Table S in supplementary; typical for ICP-MS):

• Pb LOD 6.0 ug/kg, LOQ 0.02 mg/kg
• Cd LOD/LOQ stated in supplementary (not extracted)

Health risk metrics:

• THQ values computed but specific cumin THQ not separately extracted; overall spice TTHQ <1 at stated exposure parameters (2 mg/day consumption, BW 60 kg, 30 year exposure duration)

Methods (brief)

80 samples collected per Egyptian Standards and Codex sampling procedures; labeled and stored at 4 degrees C. Sample preparation: 0.5 g transferred to microwave digestion vessels with 8 mL Suprapur HNO3 + 2 mL H2O2; microwave digestion. Analysis: ICP-MS multi-element (papers references prior protocol); method validated per SANTE/11312/2021 guidelines (sensitivity LOD/LOQ, linearity, recovery). Sudan dyes by HPLC after GPC cleanup. Pesticide residues by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS. Basis: as-sold dried spice.

Implications

Certification: The Egyptian market cumin data (n=20) provides a relatively large-n occurrence dataset for Egyptian-origin cumin. Mean Pb 0.38 mg/kg is below the EU/Codex ML of 0.3 mg/kg — technically, with the mean near the ML and 5% of samples exceeding it, this indicates a supply where the median is near the regulatory threshold. Mean Cd 0.18 mg/kg is near (but mostly below) Codex ML of 0.20 mg/kg. These data are consistent with the broader literature showing cumin can be a Pb and Cd hot-spot in certain supply chains.

Sudan dye finding: The 100% Sudan I detection in cumin samples is a significant food adulteration finding. Sudan dyes are banned from food in EU and Egypt; their presence at mg/kg levels in all 20 cumin samples from Egyptian markets suggests systematic adulteration practice in the supply chain segments studied. This is a food-safety quality signal that complements the heavy-metals picture for cumin sourced from Egyptian markets.

Courses: Useful for the multi-contaminant framing of spice adulteration — cumin as a matrix carrying co-contamination with banned colorants, pesticides, and heavy metals.

Related evidence

• Cumin
• Herbs And Spices
• Spices
• Lead
• Cadmium

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