The Control of Novel and Traditional Elemental Impurities: Ag, Au, Co, Cs, Li, Mo, Se, Sr, and V in Mint Tea Infusions (Peppermint, Mentha piperita L.) Available in Poland: A Health Risk Assessment

The purpose of our studies is the evaluation of the health risks of the novel elemental impurities (Ag, Au, Co, Cs, Li, Mo, Se, Sr, and V) in mint tea infusions (Mentha piperita L.) available in Poland. For this purpose, we applied ICP-MS-based methodology for content analysis (elemental profile and mu g/L of the infusion) and also the specific health risk assessment for a comprehensive assessment. Our strategy was based on weekly intake (mu g/L of infusion/week) considering weekly tea consumption. Then, based on the weekly consumption of tea per adult, individuals were compared to the Temporary Tolerated Weekly Intake (PTWI) designated by the Joint FAO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and the weekly consumption per body weight (mu g/L of infusion/week/bw) was estimated. Daily exposure to Co in the tested products is in a range of 0.093-0.238 mu g/day. In comparison, the established PDE (oral exposure) for Co by the ICH guideline (the ICH guideline Q3D (R1), 2019) is 50 mu g/day. For lithium, PDE is approximately 560 mu g/day and, in our study, the estimated daily exposure for Li in investigated products is in a range of 0.226-2.41 mu g/day. Our studies found also low levels of Cs (in a range of 0.0598-0.195 mu g/L), Mo (in a range of 0.663-3.261 mu g/L), and Sr (0.223-65.842 mu g/L) in infusions. For Molybdenum, the established PDE is approximately 3400 mu g/day. There are no documents about Sr and Co in the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) database and the ICH guideline Q3D (R1). In the case of V, the established PDE is 120 mu g/day, and the level of V in analyzed infusions is in a range of 0.284-0.702 mu g/L. Silver and gold were present only in a few samples, and the estimated daily exposure for Ag is approximately 0.04575 mu g/day for product A and approximately 0.1885 mu g/day for product O, except for Au, which is in a range of 0.000356-0.114 mu g/L. The estimated daily exposure for Ag is 167 mu g/day and, for Au, it is in a range of 8.9 x 10(5)-0.0285 mu g/day. It can be concluded that levels of all investigated elements (novel and also traditional elemental impurities) in the daily dose should not threaten the consumer's health after consuming mint tea infusions.

Automated summary

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health risks associated with novel elemental impurities in mint tea infusions available in Poland. The study found that the levels of all investigated elements in the daily dose of mint tea do not pose a threat to consumer health.