Lead and cadmium residue determination in spices available in Tripoli City markets (Libya)

Overview

Ziyaina and colleagues measured lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in selected spices available in Tripoli City markets, Libya. The study covered red pepper, black pepper, turmeric, and mixed spices collected from wholesale and retail markets, then analyzed nitric-acid/hydrogen-peroxide digests by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The main occurrence signal is that Pb means were below the source-cited FAO/WHO limit, while Cd means for several spice/source combinations were above the source-cited 0.2 ppm recommendation.

Key numbers

Two table rows are internally inconsistent in the extracted source: the mixed-spices retailer Pb row prints max 0.74 and min 1.04, and the mixed-spices retailer Cd row prints average 0.36 despite min 0.42 and max 0.51. This page preserves the printed table values and flags the inconsistencies instead of transposing them.

Methods (brief)

The study focused on imported spices traded in Libyan markets in 2011. Twenty-four samples of each spice type were collected from seven wholesale markets, and 36 samples of each spice type were collected from retailers in metropolitan Tripoli. Homogenized spice samples were dried at 100 deg C for 24 h; 5 g portions were digested with 65% HNO3 and 30% H2O2, reheated, diluted with distilled water, filtered through Whatman No. 42 and <0.45 ml filters as stated by the source, and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry (Varian AAS240, USA). Standards were prepared from 1000 mg L-1 stock solutions, and means/standard deviations were computed with SAS.LMC and Duncan’s multiple range test.

Implications

This source contributes Libyan-market spice occurrence data for Pb and Cd, separated by retail and wholesale channels. It is relevant to the spices product row and to ingredient context for black pepper, turmeric, and mixed spice blends. The source’s own discussion points to market-chain variability in Libya; downstream extraction should retain the channel distinction and the source-table anomaly notes.

Update history

The five most recent substantive edits to this page, classified major (evidence or structure moved), correction (a published value or statement was wrong and has been fixed), or minor (narrative rewritten without changing the underlying evidence). Each description is derived from what the edit did to this page; the linked commit is the authoritative record, routine regeneration passes are excluded, and the full version history lives in git.