DETERMINATION OF HEAVY METAL LEVELS IN DIFFERENT CINNAMON SAMPLES.

Spices are used both in the food industry during processing and in households for the purpose of achieving certain sensorial properties of food. In addition to giving food a certain taste or smell, many spices show positive effects on the state of the organism. Cinnamon is one of the oldest and most widely used spices. Besides its pronounced smell and pleasant taste, recent research shows that cinnamon is an antioxidant, that it improves digestion, helps people with type II diabetes, and has a beneficial effect on cancerous diseases, autoimmune diseases and various viruses. Spices are significant sources of heavy metals which are present in different concentrations. Despite their positive effects, spices can have a high content of heavy metals, originating from the environment, during production, processing and storage. In this paper, the content of Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in 14 samples of cinnamon (powder or stick) was determined by using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). All samples are purchased from the Sarajevo market and prepared by acid digestion. Metal content in cinnamon samples ranged from: 2.26-11.36 μg/g for Cu, 39.63-252 μg/g for Mn, 20.17-443 μg/g for Fe, 0.66-0.72 µg/g for Ni, 0.96-50.67 µg/g for Zn, 1297-2677 µg/g for Ca and 52.49-103 µg/g for Mg. Cd and Pb concentrations were below the detection limit of the used method. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that cinnamon samples are a significant source of metals. However, consumers should be careful with excessive consumption of cinnamon as this research did not include its organic components nor other elements, which is certainly recommended for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]