Impact of source, packaging and presence of food safety management system on heavy metals levels in spices and herbs
| Author | Moussa, Layale |
| Author | Hassan, Hussein F. |
| Author | Savvaidis, Ioannis N. |
| Author | Karam, Layal |
| Available date | 2024-09-25T07:49:52Z |
| Publication Date | 2024-08-01 |
| Publication Name | PLoS ONE |
| Identifier | http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307884 |
| Citation | Moussa L, Hassan HF, Savvaidis IN, Karam L (2024) Impact of source, packaging and presence of food safety management system on heavy metals levels in spices and herbs. PLoS ONE 19(8): e0307884. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307884 |
| Abstract | Spices and herbs are susceptible to various contaminants, including heavy metals. Our study aimed to quantify the levels of lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (As), and cadmium (Cd) in 96 composite samples of 13 herbs and spices frequently consumed in Lebanon. Twenty percent (19/96) and 4% (4/96) of the samples exceeded the permissible levels of Pb and Cd, respectively and all the samples met the permissible levels of As and Hg according to Codex Alimentarius standards. For Pb and Cd, unpackaged samples had the highest levels of unacceptable samples of 31% (8/26) and 8% (2/26), respectively. The samples locally packaged in companies with and without Food Safety Management System (FSMS) had the same levels of unacceptable samples of 12% (3/26) and 4% (1/26) for Pb and Cd, respectively. Imported packaged samples had unacceptable levels of Pb (28% (5/18)) and were acceptable for the three other heavy metals. |
| Sponsor | The authors would like to thank Dr. Michel Frem and Dr. Rima El Hage from the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, for supporting this study. Open access funding was provided by the Qatar National Library. |
| Language | en |
| Publisher | Public Library of Science |
| Subject | Lead in spices Arsenic in herbs Cadmium in spices and herbs Mercury in spices and herbs Packaging materials Organic vs. conventional spices and herbs Global supply chains Food safety standards Risk assessment Quality control |
| Type | Article |
| Issue Number | 8 |
| Volume Number | 19 |
| ESSN | 1932-6203 |
Files in this item
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
-
Human Nutrition [404 items ]
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Determination of heavy metals contamination in thyme products by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
( Elsevier , 2022 , Article)Thyme herbs constitute a major part of the Mediterranean diet and are gaining worldwide popularity. However, their chemical contamination with toxic metals may put consumers at a health risk. The objective of this study ... -
Novel Ternary Adder and Multiplier Designs without Using Decoders or Encoders
( Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. , 2021 , Article)Multiple-Valued Logic systems present significant improvements in terms of energy consumption over binary logic systems. This paper proposes new ternary combinational digital circuits that reduce energy consumption in ... -
The synthetic cannabinoids menace: a review of health risks and toxicity
( Springer Nature , 2024 , Article)Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are chemically classified as psychoactive substances that target the endocannabinoid system in many body organs. SCs can initiate pathophysiological changes in many tissues which can be severe ...
