Overview
A study by the ICMR National Institute of Nutrition, funded by the Indian food safety regulator, analyzed fresh tender coconut water from farms in three southern states and packaged coconut water from 12 brands for pesticide residues and heavy metals. Cadmium, chromium, lead and tin were found in fresh samples from all states, and tin in every packaged sample. Arsenic was found in one fresh sample and mercury in none.
Key numbers
- Fresh coconut water lead: 0.0093 ± 0.0052 (Andhra Pradesh), 0.0114 ± 0.0044 (Kerala), 0.0148 ± 0.0081 µg/mL (Tamil Nadu) (Table 4).
- Fresh coconut water cadmium: 0.0024 ± 0.0006 to 0.0034 ± 0.0009 µg/mL; tin up to 0.0504 ± 0.0269 µg/mL in Tamil Nadu (Table 4).
- Packaged coconut water: cadmium 0.0009 ± 0.00005 to 0.0025 ± 0.0001 µg/mL across brands; lead not detected in two brands and up to 0.0083 ± 0.0044 µg/mL (Table 5).
- Arsenic 0.0002 µg/mL in one fresh Kerala sample; mercury not detected in any sample (Results).
Methods (brief)
Twenty-five milliliters of sample was digested with nitric acid on a hot plate and analyzed by ICP-OES. LODs ranged from 0.0001 to 0.0056 µg/mL and LOQs from 0.0003 to 0.0168 µg/mL across analytes. No reference material or recovery data are reported.
Evidence Fitness
Large sample of the thin page’s own food, fresh and packaged, so this is direct evidence for coconut water. Results are per milliliter (mg/L) and are not converted to a per-kilogram basis. Means appear to be over detected samples only, and the fresh sample count in Table 4 (126) is lower than the 161 stated in the methods. Packaged brands are reported by letter code only.