Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Levels and Toxicity in Herbal Teas Marketed in Malaysia using QuEChERS and GC-FID; [Tahap dan Ketoksikan Hidrokarbon Polisiklik Aromatik (PAH) dalam Teh Herba di Pasaran Malaysia menggunakan QuEChERS dan GC-FID]

• Published in: Sains Malaysiana
• Main Author: Aziz A.; Karim K.A.B.D.; Ahmad M.A.; Ridhwan M.J.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2022
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85146465081&doi=10.17576%2fjsm-2022-5112-09&partnerID=40&md5=4b7d38ea178be040dc1e57e0fc471e4e

In line with the growing health trend in Malaysia, more consumers drink herbal tea for medicinal benefits. However, herbal tea products could be contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from various production sources. There is a little study focused on the detection of PAHs in herbal tea species distributed in Malaysia. This study was performed to investigate PAHs content and toxicity in selected commercial herbal teas in Malaysia. A total of seven different Malaysian herbal tea samples were extracted using QuEChERS extraction method and the contamination level of PAHs were evaluated using gas chromatography (GC) with a flame ionization detector (FID). The total content of 10 PAHs (∑10PAHs) in the herbal tea samples ranged from 2.53 to 9.39 µg/kg. Acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene and anthracene were the most abundant compounds with 53% contribution of all PAHs content. All tested herbal teas species showed low toxic equivalency (TEQ) values ranging from 0.0027 to 0.1148. The least contaminated samples were Strobilanthes crispus, Senna alata, Orthosiphon aristatus, Clinacanthus nutans, and Stevia rebaudiana. © 2022 Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. All rights reserved.