multielement analysis of tea and mint infusions by total reflection x-ray fluorescence spectrometry

High throughput analytical methodologies entailing low-cost multielemental analysis are attractive for identifying and quantitating elements in medicinal herb infusions. the aim of the present research was to develop a cost-effective and fast method for multielemental analysis of black tea and mint infusions by low-power txrf instrumentation. the developed methodology was applied to study how infusion time, water temperature and type of water used to prepare infusions (tap, mineral and high purity water) affect element content in the resulting tea and mint beverages. additionally, ph, conductivity, hardness and anionic composition of infusions and the different water types used to prepare the infusions were also considered. the elemental composition (k, ca, mn, fe, ni, cu, zn, br, rb, sr) of different preparations, as well as infusions from different commercial tea brands available in jamaican and spanish markets is reported. it is expected that the txrf method developed as well as the information derived from this study be useful in the fields of nutrition and health.