Evaluation of heavy metals in Roasted Coffee powder in Iran and Turkey

Abstract

Nowadays coffee is a popular beverage around the world used in many food industries such as chocolate, dairy industry and also confectionery. Therefore, its quality required special attention. On the other hand, heavy metals have been attracted the attention in food products due to their toxicity and health risks in the food chain. Since coffee is a desirable widely used drink in the world for different age groups, this study aims to measure the concentration of heavy metals and some other elements in several brands of coffee powder from Iran and Turkey markets. After sample collection and preparation, heavy metals were measured using ICP-MS according to the AOAC method. The results showed that fortunately lead, cadmium, cobalt, silver, chromium, and mercury were not detected in any coffee samples. Also, it was observed that Nickel was only found in 3 samples, which was less than the standard limits. The pH of all samples was measured and the range was 5.03 to 6.32 in Iranian and Turkish samples. However, there was a lack of evidence in heavy metals amounts in coffee, this study reveals successful practical information in this field in Iranian and Turkish market but also according to the importance of this issue, further comprehensive studies is needed all over the world.