Minerals in tea and herbal infusions and assessing the human health risk arising from their presence

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the consumption of herbs and teas in the form of infusions due to their health-promoting properties. This article presents research on the impact of the type of water used for their preparation on the macro- and micronutrient content of infusions. The study presents results for five types of water with varying physicochemical parameters. The analysis included black and green tea, chamomile , lemon balm , mint, and nettle. The chemical compositions of the dried plants, as well as their infusions, were examined, focusing on elements such as Al, B, Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Sr, and Zn. Black and green tea were found to contain up to 11.8 mg/L Al, 7.35 mg/L Mn and 0.096 mg/L Ni, which means that their concentrations are, respectively, up to 300, 20 and 4 times higher than in herbal infusions. Health risk levels associated with the regular consumption of these infusions were also assessed. For adults, HI values ranged from 0.02 to 0.25, while for children they ranged from 0.04 to 0.98. Although no health risk was found (HI < 1), in the case of children, some tea infusions showed alarmingly high values. • The type of water has a influence on the content of elements in the infusion. • The extraction of elements for the infusion varies depending on the type of plant. • There is no non-carcinogenic health risks related to the consumption of infusions. • The main contribution to the health risk comes from Mn, Al, and Ni.