Determination and Quantification of TPC, Toxic and Non-Toxic Heavy Metals in Herbals

Knowledge about organic and inorganic compounds in slim teas has always been in a center of attention since the consumption of these beverages has increased for the past years. Therefore, on the one hand, the goal of the present study was to develop an accurate method of the multi-element analysis of black tea by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) with three various extraction methods. Ten different samples of slim teas, including imported and local were analyzed to survey total concentrations of Al, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn. Results indicated high level of Fe and Zn in a descending order. On the other hand determination of total phenolic content (TPC) in ten different samples of black tea were conducted by using two distinct extraction procedures, MeOH at 50% (v/v) and water extraction. TPC were measured by using photometric Folin-Ciocalteu assay. Total phenolic content were expressed in mg Gallic acid equivalents (GAE) per gram of the sample. Eventually, phenolic compounds compared to water, are more soluble in organic solvents with less polarity. Also according to the results, there were some variations in the TPC on account of types of black tea.