Thirteen trace elements analysis by ICP-MS in Iranian commercial pistachio cultivars, and human health risk assessment

• ICP-MS was used to determine the thirteen trace elements content in eight pistachio cultivars grown in Iran. • The contents of trace elements in pistachio kernels strongly depended on the cultivar • The concentration trend of various measured trace metals in pistachio samples is in the order of ‘Fe>Zn>Sr> B>Cu>Mn>Al>Ni>Cr>Co>AS>Cd>Pb’ • The dietary intake of these trace elements through consumption of the pistachio cultivars no risk • The pistachio samples can be considered as safe food for human diet Trace element concentrations play a crucial role in determining the safety and quality of pistachios; however, data on this topic are limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify trace element levels and assess associated health risks in eight pistachio cultivars (‘Akbari’, ‘Ahmadaghaei’, ‘Kalleghoochi’, ‘Khanjari’, ‘Ohadi’, ‘Ghermez’, ‘Shahpasand’, and ‘Sephid’) grown in Iran. Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), the concentrations of copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), boron (B), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), strontium (Sr), aluminium (Al), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) were determined in pistachio kernels. In order to assess potential health risks associated with consuming pistachios, calculations were conducted for chronic daily intake (CDI), hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI), metal pollution index (MPI), and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR). Significant variations in trace element levels were observed among the different pistachio cultivars. The concentrations (mg kg -1 dry matter, DM) ranged as follows: Cu: 7.316-13.023, Fe: 25.473-42.736, Mn: 6.890-12.206, Zn: 16.823-28.033, Co: 0.126-0.200, B: 8.526-20.273, Cr: 0.523-1.136, Ni: 0.160-1.452, Sr: 10.156-25.520, Al: 4.996-8.340, As: 0.028-0.051, Cd: 0.018-0.034, and Pb: 0.009-0.019. The average CDI values (mg kg -1 day -1 ) for trace elements across the eight pistachio cultivars decreased in the following order: Fe (1.14E-02) > Zn (7.40E-03) > Sr (5.76E-03) > B (4.83E-03) > Cu (3.39E-03) > Mn (3.14E-03) > Al (2.12E-03) > Ni (2.81E-04) > Cr (2.61E-04) > Co (5.33E-05) > As (1.33E-05) > Cd (8.24E-06) > Pb (4.38E-06), with all values below the recommended oral reference doses. For all trace elements, the HQ, HI, and MPI values from consuming these pistachio cultivars were below 1. The average ILCR values for carcinogenic trace elements in the eight pistachio cultivars were ranked as follows: Ni (3.09E-04) > Cr (1.31E-04) > As (1.99E-05) > Cd (4.21E-06) > Pb (3.72E-08), with all values within the acceptable range. These findings indicate that trace element levels in pistachio kernels significantly depend on the cultivar. Health risk assessments suggest that these pistachio samples are safe for human consumption, posing no notable health risks from daily intake.