Presença de matérias estranhas em erva-doce, Pimpinella anisum L

the word “tea” is popularly used in Brazil as a synonym for the infusion of fruits, leaves, roots, or herbs, such as chamomile, mint, fennel, and lemongrass. the Collegiate Board Resolution (RDC No. 277/2005) defines “tea” as a product consisting of one or more parts of plant species, whole, fragmented, or ground, with or without fermentation, and toasted or untoasted. the product must be designated as “tea,” followed by the common name of the plant species used. The Codex Alimentarius defines children and the elderly as risk groups for the presence of foreign matter in food. this study aims to evaluate the quality of tea offered in a retail market of rio de Janeiro through a research on foreign matter present in ten brands of tea produced from the plant species Pimpinella anisum L. The study was performed using the Food methodologies from the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, 2010 and for plant drug from the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia, 2010. Six of the eleven brands presented more than 2% of extraneous matter, the limit established in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia. in all samples was detected the presence of soil and sand, indicating failures in Good Manufacturing Practices as described in the specific legislation.