Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Comparison of different digestion methods of green and black tea at the Sarajevo market for the determination of the heavy metal content

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The content of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn was determined in commercially available black and green tea from Sarajevo market. The concentrations of metals in tea infusion and solutions prepared by applying four digestion methods were determined by using FAAS. The results show that the highest concentration of total metals was obtained after acid digestion in an autoclave. The concentration of metals soluble in water obtained in tea infusion does not exceed maximum allowed values provided by WHO (Guidelines for drinking-water quality, World Health Organization, Geneva, 2011). Among the investigated metals Mn was the highest and ranged from 286 to 334 μg g−1 in tea infusion of green and black tea, respectively, to 1,078 and 1,528 μg g−1 total content of Mn in green and black tea, respectively. The concentration of heavy metals in water extracts of tea was distinctly low in comparison with the total content. The concentrations of Cd and Pb were under the determination limit using FAAS. The total content of all determined metals was higher in black tea than in green tea.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. WHO, Guidelines for drinking-water quality, 4th edn. (World Health Organization, Geneva, 2011)

    Google Scholar 

  2. P.L. Fernandez, F. Pablos, M.J. Martin, A.G. Gonzalez, Multi-element analysis of tea beverages by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Food Chem 76, 483–489 (2002)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. M. Soylak, M. Tuzen, A.S. Souza, M.G.A. Korn, S.L.C. Ferreira, Optimization of microwave assisted digestion procedure for the determination of zinc, copper and nickel in tea samples employing flame atomic absorption spectrometry. J Hazard Mater 149, 264–268 (2007)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. S. Seenivasan, N. Manikandan, N.N. Muraleedharan, R. Selvasundaram, Heavy metal content of black teas from south India. Food Control 19, 746–749 (2008)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. F.K. Gorur, R. Keser, N. Akcay, S. Dizman, N.T. Okumusoglu, Radionuclides and heavy metals concentrations in Turkish market tea. Food Control 22, 2065–2070 (2011)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. M.T. Soomro, E. Zahir, S. Mohiuddin, A.N. Khan, I.I. Naqvi, Quantitative assessment of metals in local brands of tea in Pakistan. Pak J Biol Sci 11(2), 285–289 (2008)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. D.W. Gebretsadik, B.S. Chandravanshi, Levels of metals in commercially available Ethiopian black teas and their infusions. Bull Chem Soc Ethiop 24, 339–349 (2010)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. K.L. Mandiwana, N. Panichev, S. Panicheva, Determination of chromium(VI) in black, green and herbal teas. Food Chem 129, 1839–1843 (2011)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. M.A. Herrador, A.G. Gonzalez, Pattern recognition procedures for differentiation of green, black, and oolong teas according to their metal content from inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Talanta 53, 1249–1257 (2001)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. F.M. Shen, H.W. Chen, Element composition of tea leaves and tea infusions and its impact on health. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 80, 300–304 (2008). doi:10.1007/s00128-008-9367-z

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. S. Nookabkaew, N. Rangkadilok, J. Satayavivad, Determination of trace elements in herbal tea products and their infusions consumed in Thailand. J Agric Food Chem 54(18), 6939–6944 (2006). doi:10.1021/jf060571w

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Y. Sahan, F. Basoglu, S. Gucer, ICP-MS analysis of a series of metals (Namely: Mg, Cr Co, Ni, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sn, Cd and Pb) in black and green olive samples from Bursa, Turkey. Food Chem 105, 395–399 (2007)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. A.C. Achudume, D. Owoeye, Quantitative assessment of heavy metals in some tea marketed in Nigeria—bioaccumulation of heavy metals in tea. Health 2(9), 1097–1100 (2010). doi:10.4236/health.2010.29162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. S. Saud, A.L. Oud, Heavy metal contents in tea and herbs leaves. Pak J Biol Sci 6(3), 208–212 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. M. Yemane, B.S. Chandravanshi, T. Wondimu, Levels of essential and non-essential metals in leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis L.) and soil of Wushwush farms, Ethiopia. Food Chem 107, 1236–1243 (2008). doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.09.058

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. D.G. Marbaniang, P. Baruah, R. Decruse, E.R. Dkhar, D.F. Diengdoh, C.L. Nongpiur, Study of trace metal (Cr, Mn, Fe Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd) composition in tea available at Shillong, Meghalaya, India. Int J Environ Prot 1, 13–21 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  17. A. Szymczycha-Madeja, M. Welna, P. Pohl, Elemental analysis of teas and their infusions by spectrometric methods. TrAC Trends Anal Chem 35, 165–181 (2012). doi:10.1016/j.trac.2011.12.005

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Regulations on maximum permitted levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs. Official Gazette of BiH 37/09 (2009)

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Sarajevo, Zmaja od Bosne 33-35, 71000, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Mustafa Memić, Sabina Žero & Tidža Muhić-Šarac

  2. Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Augusta Brauna 2, 71000, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Dijana Mahić

Authors
  1. Mustafa Memić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dijana Mahić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sabina Žero
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Tidža Muhić-Šarac
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mustafa Memić.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Memić, M., Mahić, D., Žero, S. et al. Comparison of different digestion methods of green and black tea at the Sarajevo market for the determination of the heavy metal content. Food Measure 8, 149–154 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-014-9175-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-014-9175-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation