Moussa et al. 2024 — Heavy metals in spices and herbs on the Lebanese market
Moussa et al. measured Pb, Cd, As, and tHg in 96 composite samples representing 13 herb and spice categories sold in Lebanon (black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, paprika, red chili, white pepper, thyme, garlic powder, thyme mix, sesame, sumac, and dried mint), purchased across four source categories: unpackaged bulk, imported (France), locally packaged with a Food Safety Management System (FSMS), and locally packaged without FSMS. Lead was the most problematic analyte, exceeding the Codex Alimentarius maximum permissible limit (MPL) of 0.3 mg/kg in 20% of samples overall, with unpackaged samples showing the highest exceedance rate (31%) and imported samples also high (28%). Cadmium exceeded its MPL (0.2 mg/kg) in 4% of samples; arsenic and mercury were within Codex limits across all 96 samples.
Key numbers
Lead (Pb): Range across all samples 0.052 to 0.486 mg/kg. Overall exceedance of Codex MPL (0.3 mg/kg): 20% (19/96). By packaging category: bulk 31% (8/26), imported 28% (5/18), local with FSMS 12% (3/26), local without FSMS 12% (3/26). By spice type: all thyme mix (100%, 6/6) and all thyme (100%, 8/8) and all garlic powder samples exceeded the MPL; paprika was 75% non-compliant (6/8); cumin, cinnamon, white pepper, red chili, and oregano were 50% non-compliant (4/8); sesame was fully compliant (0% exceedance). Highest single mean: unpacked paprika at 0.486 mg/kg; lowest: locally packed red chili without FSMS at 0.052 mg/kg.
Cadmium (Cd): Range 0.002 to 0.345 mg/kg. Overall exceedance of Codex MPL (0.2 mg/kg): 4% (4/96). Exceedances in cinnamon (25%, 2/8), thyme mix (17%, 1/6), and red chili (12%, 1/8); all other types compliant. Highest mean: unpacked thyme mix at 0.345 mg/kg; lowest: imported white pepper at 0.002 mg/kg.
Arsenic (tAs): Range 0.017 to 0.242 mg/kg. All 96 samples below Codex MPL (0.5 mg/kg). No significant difference between categories (p=0.5661). Highest mean: oregano locally packed with FSMS at 0.242 mg/kg; lowest: unpacked white pepper at 0.017 mg/kg. Note: speciation was not performed; these are total arsenic values by AAS.
Mercury (tHg): Range 0.003 to 0.033 mg/kg. All 96 samples below Codex MPL (0.1 mg/kg). No significant difference between categories (p=0.7832). Highest mean: unpacked thyme at 0.033 mg/kg; lowest: locally packed paprika without FSMS at 0.003 mg/kg. Note: these are total mercury values by direct mercury analyzer; methylmercury speciation was not performed.
Methods
Analysis conducted at the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI), ISO/IEC 17025 accredited. Composite sampling: five brands per spice per category combined. Pb, Cd, and tAs determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GF-AAS, Thermo Fisher Zeeman). tHg by direct mercury analyzer (DMA-80, Milestone). LOD/LOQ: Hg 4×10⁻⁵ / 1.2×10⁻⁴ mg/kg; Cd 3.6×10⁻⁵ / 1.2×10⁻⁴ mg/kg; As 2.62×10⁻⁴ / 8.76×10⁻⁴ mg/kg; Pb 2.5×10⁻⁴ / 8.33×10⁻⁴ mg/kg. Recovery rates 90–103% across all analytes. Two collection periods (June 2020 and September 2020). Basis: dry weight (dried spice/herb matrix). No arsenic speciation; no mercury speciation.
Implications
Certification: Spices and dried herbs are intermediate food ingredients used in many product categories; their Pb and Cd load contributes to dietary intake. The 20% Pb exceedance rate for Lebanese market samples establishes a baseline for supply-chain surveillance; bulk/unpackaged sourcing shows the worst compliance profile.
Courses: Illustrates how packaging, FSMS status, and sourcing channel interact with contamination outcomes. The finding that FSMS presence did not differentiate Pb and Cd exceedance rates between locally packaged categories (both 12% for Pb) suggests FSMS programs in this setting do not routinely monitor heavy metals.
App: Spice/herb ingredients carry meaningful Pb (up to 0.486 mg/kg dry weight) and lesser Cd risk; tAs and tHg are low for this category relative to Codex limits.
Regulations: Benchmarked against Codex Alimentarius CXS 193–1995 (Pb MPL 0.3 mg/kg, Cd MPL 0.2 mg/kg, As MPL 0.5 mg/kg, Hg MPL 0.1 mg/kg). Lebanon has no national metal limits for most spices and herbs except thyme/thyme mixes via LIBNOR NL 677:2017 (aligned with Codex).