Safety Evaluation of Heavy Metal Contamination and Pesticide Residues in Coix Seeds in Guizhou Province, China

Abstract

The coix seed is a medicinal and edible plant with rich nutritional and medicinal values. With the expansion of the coix seed consumption market, the problem of coix seed safety has attracted attention worldwide. The aims of this work were to evaluate the contamination of mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr) and 116 pesticides in coix seeds collected from 12 main producing regions of coix seeds in the Guizhou Province of China and to analyze the major contributors of heavy metal and pesticide contamination in coix seed. The results show that the average contents of Pb, Cd, As and Cr in the 123 coix seed samples were 0.0069, 0.0021, 0.0138 and 0.1107 mg/kg, respectively, while Hg was not detected in all coix seed samples. Among the five heavy metals detected, only the Cr contents of three samples were found to be higher than the contaminant limit of Chinese standard GB2762-2017 (CSGB). A total of 13 pesticides were detected in 29 samples from seven main production regions of coix seeds, accounting for 23.6% of all the samples. The detection rates of chlorpyrifos were the highest (8.13%), followed by fenpropathrin (4.06%), bifenthrin (2.43%) and phoxim (1.62%), while the detection rates of the remaining pesticides were below 1%. Moreover, the residual risk score of dichlorvos was the highest of all the pesticides detected. The pollution index and risk assessment of heavy metals and pesticide residues indicates that coix seeds were at safe levels for consumption. In the production process of coix seeds, the local government should control the soil in areas heavily polluted by heavy metals and strengthen the monitoring and guidance on the scientific and rational use of pesticides.

Properties and Fungal Communities of Different Soils for Growth of the Medicinal Asian Water Plantain, Alisma orientale, in Fujian, China

“…In this regard, several important soil factors should be considered, including (1) soil physiochemistry; (2) levels of basic nutrients, e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; (3) levels of pollutants, including heavy metals, pesticide, and/or other toxins; and (4) the soil microbiome that can impact plant health and stress resistance. As to the pollutants, it is well known that high concentrations of heavy metals and pesticides have an adverse impact on both soil and plant health [ 36 ], and that these toxins can enter the food chain through water–soil–crop ecosystems, posing a serious threat to human health [ 37 , 38 , 39 ]. Accumulation of heavy metal and other toxins in soil can deteriorate soil properties and hinder plant growth or render plants unfit for human consumption [ 40 ].…”

Cardiovascular protection of YiyiFuzi powder and the potential mechanisms through modulating mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum interactions

“…Fingerprinting of Coicis semen from dried tissues using the sequence-independent microarray ( Niu et al, 2013 ) and the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-evaporative light scattering detector ( Du et al, 2021 ) has been reported. It contains more than 80 active components including polysaccharides, fatty acids (FAs), phenolic acids, sterols, lipids, flavonoids, triterpenes, alkaloids, and adenosine ( Zhu, 2017 ; Yu J. et al, 2022 ; Huang et al, 2022 ; Pan et al, 2023 ; Wei et al, 2023 ). The HPLC-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (MS) method identified 12 triacylglycerols in coix oil ( Xiang et al, 2005 ).…”

“…These components are primarily responsible for improving lipid metabolism, antioxidation, and anti-inflammation, providing analgesic effects, and offering cardiovascular protection ( Zhu R. et al, 2020 ; Chen et al, 2022 ; Yang et al, 2022d ; Zeng et al, 2022 ; Pan et al, 2023 ), thereby supporting proper heart function and protecting against CVD ( Xu et al, 2017 ; Chen et al, 2022 ). Studies have shown that Coicis semen has positive effects on CHDs ( Yu F. et al, 2011 ; Wang et al, 2012 ), atherosclerosis ( Check and K'Ombut, 1995 ; Yu F. et al, 2011 ), myocardial ischemia, MI( Yu J. et al, 2022 ), hypertension ( Li et al, 2017 ; Chen et al, 2020 ), hypercholesterolemia ( Wang et al, 2012 ), and hyperlipidemia ( Chen et al, 2022 ).…”

Adlay, an ancient functional plant with nutritional quality, improves human health

“…The contents of copper, iron and chromium in the root are the highest, being 0.01, 1.46, and 0.04 mg/g, respectively; the contents of potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium are the highest in the leaf, being 4.18, 15.65, 1.90, and 5.85 mg/g, respectively. Yu et al ( 76 ) assessed mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), and 116 pesticides in coix seeds. The results showed that the pollution index and risk assessment of heavy metal and pesticide residues indicated that coix seeds were safe for consumption.…”