Overview
This short communication reports lead and chromium measured by flame AAS in three red chili powders and three turmeric powders from Lahore supermarkets. Turmeric carried more of both metals than red chili. The abstract’s lead range does not match the table.
Key numbers
- Red chili powder lead 2, 2 and 4 ppm (printed mean 2.6); turmeric powder lead 8, 4 and 6 ppm (printed mean 5.3) (Table 2).
- Chromium: red chili mean 0.0419 ppm, turmeric mean 0.1142 ppm (Table 2).
- Abstract states lead 0.0050 to 0.01 ppm, which conflicts with Table 2.
Methods (brief)
Spice powders were digested and analyzed by flame AAS at 283.3 nm (lead) and 357.9 nm (chromium) against calibration standards. Digestion details, detection limits, reference materials and recoveries are not reported.
Evidence Fitness
Only six products, integer-valued lead results, and internal conflicts (abstract range vs table, turmeric mean vs its values) make this weak evidence. Red chili powder is a seasoning proxy for chili con carne; the dish was not measured.