Overview
This is the peer-reviewed Heliyon publication of the work indexed in the HMI library as a medRxiv preprint (islam2023-noakhali-spices-bangladesh). Islam et al. measured lead, cadmium, chromium, copper, and iron in 19 spice samples from Noakhali District, Bangladesh, using AAS. The study includes two cumin samples: one non-branded (S-14, Jirar Gura, Cuminum cyminum) and one branded (S-16, Jirar Gura, Cuminum cyminum). The paper’s main health risk findings focused on chromium (Cr THQ values >1 for several spices including chili powder and turmeric) rather than lead (Pb) or cadmium (Cd), which remained below individual THQ=1. Cardamom had the highest Pb (15.47 mg/kg) of all spices; cumin was not among the high-risk spices for any metal in this dataset.
Key numbers
Spice-level heavy metal concentrations from paper text and figures (mg/kg, dry weight, AAS, LOD 0.01 ppm/mL):
- Cardamom (S-7): highest Pb 15.47 +/- 1.93 mg/kg
- Cinnamon (S-12): Pb 10.05 +/- 1.22 mg/kg
- Coriander leaf (S-17): highest Cd 1.65 +/- 0.011 mg/kg
- Bay leaf (S-18): highest Cr 31.99 +/- 3.97 mg/kg
- Dried chili (S-6): highest Cu 18.84 +/- 1.97 mg/kg
- Black pepper (S-19): highest Fe 9.29 +/- 1.71 mg/kg
Cumin-specific data (from preprint Table 2 EDI values, S-14 and S-16; published version may differ slightly):
| Sample | IR (kg/day/person) | EDI Pb | EDI Cd | EDI Cr | EDI Cu | EDI Fe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S-14 (non-branded cumin) | 0.00057 | 0.00001 | 0.00001 | 0.00013 | 0.00004 | 0.00019 |
| S-16 (branded cumin) | 0.00041 | 0.00000 | 0.00001 | 0.00015 | 0.00012 | 0.00027 |
THQ values for cumin S-14: Pb 0.00283, Cd 0.01227, Cr 0.43371, Cu 0.00101, Fe 0.02696; TTHQ 0.47678 (all <1). THQ values for cumin S-16: Pb 0.00135, Cd 0.01063, Cr 0.50666, Cu 0.00292, Fe 0.03918; TTHQ 0.56073 (all <1). All cumin TTHQ values <1, indicating acceptable health risk at Noakhali consumption rates.
Copper in branded cumin (S-16): 13.81 +/- 2.38 mg/kg was noted in text as third highest Cu across all spices studied.
Concentration data for cumin seeds (inferred from EDI back-calculation at stated IR 0.00057 kg/day, body weight 60 kg):
- Non-branded cumin (S-14) Pb: very low (EDI 0.00001); approximate concentration ~0.26 mg/kg
- Note: concentration values were not tabulated per spice in the preprint; published version Table 1 likely contains them
Methods (brief)
AAS: PerkinElmer PinAAcle 900H with dual beam optics continuum source double-beam background correction using high-intensity deuterium arc lamp. Wet digestion: 1:4 HNO3/H2SO4 mixture at 130 degrees C for 1 hour, then 2 mL H2O2 added, re-heated. Filtered and transferred to 50 mL volumetric flask. LOD 0.01 ppm/mL. Linearity R2 ranges 0.9897-0.9983.
Near-duplicate note
This paper is the peer-reviewed Heliyon publication of the preprint at doi:10.1101/2023.02.06.23285555 (cite_key: islam2023-noakhali-spices-bangladesh). Both pages are retained; the published version has undergone peer review and may contain corrected or updated concentration tables. The cumin.md page should cite the published version where both are available.
Related evidence
- Cumin
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
- Spices
- Lead
- Cadmium
- Heavy Metals Induced Health Risk Assessment Through Consumption of Selected Commercially Available Spices in Noakhali District of Bangladesh
Update history
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