Determination of Essential & Toxic Metal and Its Transversal Pattern from Soil to Tea Brew

Piar Chand, Ruchi Sharma, Ramdeen Prasad, Rakesh Kumar Sud, Yogesh B. Pakade

.

DOI: 10.4236/fns.2011.210155                

Abstract

The soil pH of tea garden was acidic (4.6 - 5.3) with organic contents ranging between 0.91% - 1.09%. Available po- tassium concentration was predominantly found in the range of 167 - 208 mg/kg followed by the nitrogen (150 - 189 mg/ha) and phosphorus (42 - 169 mg/kg). The Fe content was the one of the predominant heavy metal in soil (5494 - 5627 mg/kg) followed by Mn (245 - 435 mg/kg), Zn (30 - 111 mg/kg) and Cu (22 - 51 mg/kg). The concentration of toxic heavy metals Pb, Ni, and Cd in tea leaves, made tea and its infusions were too low. The level of most abundant essential heavy metals in tea infusion was Zn ranging from 0.09 - 0.52 mg/kg followed by Mn 0.10 - 0.42 mg/kg. The level of Fe and Cu was ranging from 0.068 - 0.073 mg/kg and 0.007 - 0.04 mg/kg in tea infusion respectively. The levels of all es- sential and the toxic metals were thus obtained were compared well with the other parts of the world.

Keywords

Tea, Heavy Metals, Physico-Chemical, Soil, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS)

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	The Tea Council, 2004. http://www.teacouncil.co.uk.
[2]	H. N. Graham, “Chemistry Consumption and Health Affects,” In: G. A. Spiller, Ed., The Methylxanthine Beverages and Foods, Alan R Liss Inc., New York, 1984, pp. 29-74.
[3]	J. Ruan and M. H. Wong, “Accumulation of Fluoride and Aluminium Related to Different Varieties of Tea Plant,” Environmental Geochemical and Health, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2001, pp. 53-63. doi:10.1023/A:1011082608631
[4]	T. K. Mondal, A. Bhattacharya, M. Laxmikumaran and P. S. Ahuja, “Recent Advances of Tea (Camellia sinensis) Biotechnology,” Plant Cell Tissue Organ Culture, Vol. 76, No. 3, 2004, pp. 195-254. doi:10.1023/B:TICU.0000009254.87882.71
[5]	A. Mehra and C. L. Baker, “Leaching and Bioavailability of Al Cu and Mn from Tea (Camellia sinensis),” Food Chemistry, Vol. 100, No. 4, 2007, pp. 1456-1463. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2005.11.038
[6]	W. J. Chong, T. D. Shao, Z. Kai and Y. L. Xian, “Factors Determining Copper Concentration in Tea Leaves Produced at Yuyao Country China,” Food and Chemical Toxicology, Vol. 46, No. 6, 2008, pp. 2054-2061. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2008.01.046
[7]	S. W. Souci, W. Fachmann and H. Kraut, “Food Composition and Nutrition Tables,” German Research Institute for Food Chemistry, Ministry for Nutrition, Agriculture and Forestry, Bonn Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Postfach 40, D-7000 Stuttgart 1. 3rd Edition, 1986/1988, p. 1001.
[8]	J. J. Powell, T. J. Burden and R. P. H. Thompson, “In Vitro Mineral Availability from Digested Tea: A Rich Dietary Source of Manganese,” Analyst, Vol. 123, No. 8, 1998, pp. 1721-1724. doi:10.1039/a802131g
[9]	S. Seenivasan, N. Manikandan and N. Muraleedharan, “Chromium Contamination in Black Tea and Its Transfer into Tea Brew,” Food Chemistry, Vol. 106, No. 3, 2008, pp. 1066-1069. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.07.027
[10]	Y. J. Yang, “The Sciences of China Tea Cultivation,” Shanghai Science and Technology Publisher, Shanghai, 2005.
[11]	A. H. Varnam and H. P. Sutherland, “Beverages: Technology, Chemistry and Microbiology,” Chapman and Hall, London, 1994, pp. 126-189.
[12]	M. A. Bosque, M. Schuhmacher and J. L. Domingo, “Concentration of Lead and Cadmium in Edible Vegetables from Tarragona Province Spain,” Science of Total Environment, Vol. 95, 1990, pp. 61-70. doi:10.1016/0048-9697(90)90053-W
[13]	S. S. AL-Qud, “Heavy Metal Contents in Tea and Herb Leave,” Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, Vol. 6, 2003, pp. 208-212. doi:10.3923/pjbs.2003.208.212
[14]	S. Lee, M. Kim and Y. Hee, “Effect of Korean Green Tea, Oolong Tea and Black Beverage on the Removal of Cadmium and Antioxidative Detoxification in Cadmium Administered Rates,” The Third International Symposium on Green Tea, Seoul, 1 September 1995.
[15]	X. Cao, G. Zhao, M. Yin and J. Li, “Determination of Ultratrace Rare Elements by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometery with Microwave Digestion and AG50W-X8 Cation Exchange Chromatography,” Analyst, Vol. 123, No. 5, 1998, pp. 1115-1119. doi:10.1039/a708881g
[16]	P. K. Gupta, “Soil, Plant, Water and Fertilizer Analysis,” Agrobios, New Delhi, 2000.
[17]	ICH Harmonised Tripartite Guideline, “Text on Validation of Analytical Procedures,” 1994. http//www.ich.org.
[18]	Q. Hu, G. Pan and J. Zhu, “Effect of Fertilization on Selenium Content of Tea and the Nutritional Function of Se-Enriched Tea in Rats,” Plant Soil, Vol. 238, No. 1, 2002, pp. 91-95. doi:10.1023/A:1014266613165
[19]	F. M. Shen and H. C. Wen, “Element Composition of Tea Leaves and Tea Infusion and Its Impact on Health,” Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Vol. 80, No. 3, 2008, pp. 300-304. doi:10.1007/s00128-008-9367-z
[20]	J. V. LagerwerffIn, J. J. Mottvedt, P. M. Giordano, et al., “Lead Mercury and Cadmium as Environmental Contaminants, Micronutrients in Agriculture Madison,” Soil Science Society America, 1972, pp. 593-636.
[21]	R. Street, J. Száková, O. Drábek and L. Mládková, “The Status of Micronutrient (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) in Tea and Tea Infusion in Selected Samples Imported to the Czeck Republic,” Czeck Journal of Food Science, Vol. 25, No. 2, 2006, pp. 62-71.
[22]	S. Natrajan, R. H. Stamps, U. K. Saha and L. Q. Ma, “Effect of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Levels and Frond-Har- vesting on Absorption Translocation and Accumulation of Arsenic by Chinese Brake Fern (Pteris vittata L.),” International Journal of Phytoremediation, Vol. 11, No. 4, 2009, pp. 313-328. doi:10.1080/15226510802564918
[23]	A. A. Mehrag and M. R. Macnair, “An Altered Phosphate-Uptake System in Arsenate-Tolerant Holcus lantus L.,” New Phytology, Vol. 116, No. 1, 1990, pp. 29-35. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1990.tb00507.x
[24]	A. A. Mehrag and M. R. Macnair, “Uptake Accumulation and Translocation of Arsenate in Arsenate-Tolerant and Non-Tolerant Holcus lantus L.,” New Phytology, Vol. 117, No. 2, 1991, pp. 225-231. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1991.tb04903.x
[25]	A. A. Mehrag, J. Naylor and M. R. Macnair, “Phosphorus Nutrition of Arsenate-Tolerant and Non-Tolerant Phenotype of Velvetgrass,” Journal of Environmental Quality, Vol. 23, No. 2, 1994, pp. 234-238. doi:10.2134/jeq1994.00472425002300020003x
[26]	A. A. Mehrag and J. Hartley-Whitaker, “Arsenic Uptake and Metabolism in Arsenic Resistant and Non-Resistant Plant Species,” New Phytology, Vol. 154, No. 1, 2002, pp. 29-35. doi:10.1046/j.1469-8137.2002.00363.x
[27]	M. Yemane, B. S. Chandravanshi and W. Taddese, “Levels of Essential and Non Essential Metals in Leavea of Tea Plant Camellia sinensis L. and Soil of Wushwush Farm Ethiopia,” Food Chemistry, Vol. 107, No. 3, 2008, pp. 1236-1243.