Pollutants harmful to health in herbal products detected by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy

Abstract

The goal of this research was to evaluate the chemical composition of some herbal products consumed in Brazil through the Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF). The methodology used encompassed the selection of 14 plants’ dried extracts and six ground plants. The qualitative and quantitative analyses of samples indicating the presence of As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Zn, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Co, Rb, Zr, Cd, Sn, Ba, Hg, Pb, Bi, Mo, and Pt in different concentrations. It is feasible that part of the contamination found in the herbal products come from the adjuvants/excipients used in the production process. Also, it was found that the extract production process seems to have a low efficiency for the extraction of the main chemical elements present in the ground plants. In the other hand, it has the benefit of reducing the contamination by harmful elements to health, such as heavy metals. EDXRF can replace atomic absorption spectrometry as low-cost and high precision technique to quantify all elements of interest in the pharmaceutical and food industries, within the limits established by regulatory agencies

Keywords

• plant products
• energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (edxrf)
• dried extracts
• ground medicinal plant
• heavy metal contamination