Mineral analysis of <i>Pistacia</i> species with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)

In this study, we analysed the fruits of four <i>Pistacia</i> species using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to quantify essential minerals. Each <i>Pistacia</i> species contained As (from 18.42 to 22.07 µg/kg), Cd (from 1223.9 to 1371.3 µg/kg), Cr (from 2024.71 to 3571.49 µg/kg), Zn (from 11372.73 to 19587.34) mg/kg, Co (from 138.779 to 142.687 µg/kg), Cu (from 9.08 to 25.167 mg/kg), Pb (from 293.21 to 9742.78 µg/kg), Ni (from 6807.09 to 7355.41 µg/kg), Se (from 926.25 to1362.10 µg/kg), V (from 46.48 to 81.96 µg/kg) and Ag (from 45.97 to 218.79 µg/kg) whereas Tl, Be and U were present in traces. Various multivariate statistical techniques were combined with correlation analysis to investigate the distribution of the measured elements in various <i>Pistacia</i> species and geographic regions. The results indicated that some species accumulated certain minerals at higher rates in fruits and seeds compared to others; however, overall, they were deemed suitable for human consumption.