Determination of Macroelements, Transition Elements, and Anionic Contents of Commercial Roasted Ground Coffee Available in Jordanian Markets

Abstract

Coffee is one of the most common drinks worldwide. Due to the variability of elements composition, coffee is important for human health. The aim of this study is to assess the concentration of certain selected elements of commercial samples of roasted ground coffee available in Jordanian markets. The concentrations of macroelement components (sodium, potassium, and calcium), transition elements (lead, cadmium, iron, nickel, and copper), and anion contents (sulfate, nitrate, fluoride, chloride, and phosphate ions) have been determined in nine samples using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Obtained results showed that all tested samples contain macroelementscalcium, sodium, and potassium, in a concentration ranging from 6.18 to 162.6 μg/gram of dry weight (in detail: calcium, 6.96–9.81 μg/g; sodium, 121.54–162.60 μg/g; potassium, 6.18–10.23 μg/g). Regarding transition elements, all samples tested contained variable concentrations of iron and copper (1.26–2.07 and 0.24–0.66 μg/g, respectively), while they lacked lead, cadmium, and nickel (only one sample contained 0.1 μg/g for nickel). In addition, all tested samples contained variable anionic concentrations. The lack of toxic selected elements (lead, cadmium, and nickel) in these samples appears to indicate the significance of these coffee samples as a source of useful selected elements for human health.