Determination of selenium in roasted beans coffee samples consumed in Algeria by radiochemical neutron activation analysis method

Abstract

The essential trace element selenium is a focus of attention due to its effects on human health, there being consequences of both its deficiency and excess. Due to the ultra-trace content of selenium, the neutron activation analysis method (NAA) is difficult to apply. We therefore made use of the radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) to determine Se at low level concentrations in several consumed food items in Algeria. A radiochemical procedure based on liquid–liquid separation was established in our laboratory. In this research we focused on the determination of selenium in two species of coffee: Arabica and Robusta. The accuracy of the method was assessed by analyzing the certified reference material NIST-SRM 1573a (tomato leaves). The results obtained show a selenium variation from 0.025 to 0.052 μg/g in coffee beans and an average yield of the separation of about 85%. The results of this study were compared with those obtained with samples from Brazilian, Caribbean, Indian and Kenyan coffee beans.

Ionomic Approaches for Discovery of Novel Stress-Resilient Genes in Plants

“…NAA has been proven to be an appropriate technique for elemental profiling because it is fast and reliable for small sample analysis. Previous studies have shown the application of NAA for determining various elements such as (Al As, Br, Ca 2+ , Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, K, La, Na + , Rb, Sc, Sm, Sr, Zn, Lu, and Th) from different samples [194,195]. This technique has been proven to be an appropriate technique in ionomics studies where small samples of large numbers have to be analyzed.…”

“…However, expansion of other nonnuclear techniques like XRF and ICP-MS has led the decline of NAA method usage. Nonetheless, NAA is still useful in several applications, such as the analysis of various solid materials that are difficult to dissolve and the examination of samples to discover trace elements with low quantities [195]. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) is advantageous in environmental analysis.…”

Organic Selenium as Antioxidant Additive in Mitigating Acrylamide in Coffee Beans Roasted via Conventional and Superheated Steam

“…Recently, there has been intense interest in selenium supplementation due to its role in protecting the immune system, improve cardiovascular functions, and protection against cancer [ 20 , 21 ]. Coffee contains a trace amount of selenium in the organic form, which is not significant for selenium supplementation [ 22 ]. The infusion of selenium via raw material pretreatment has been shown to contribute to aroma profile of roasted coffee and enrichment of its natural selenium level [ 23 ] but no impact on the fate of acrylamide is available.…”