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Heavy metals (HMs) such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, aluminum, iron, and barium can accumulate in tea herbs and pose health risks to consumers. This systematic review analyzes research from 2000- 2022 on HM contamination in tea, associated health effects, and strategies to minimize exposure. Initial searches yielded 961 articles, with 157 selected for final review after the screening. HMs have no biological role; their toxicity depends on metal type, oxidation state, and solubility. Chronic ingestion of HM-contaminated tea can impair numerous organs and biochemical processes, potentially causing cancer, cardiovascular, neurological, reproductive, and developmental damage. Factors influencing HM levels in tea herbs include soil, air, and water contamination, proximity to pollution sources, genetic differences, brewing methods, and steeping time. Strategies to reduce HM uptake and toxicity include using cleaner irrigation water, avoiding acidic fertilizers, liming soil, and restricting tea cultivation near pollution sources. Processing methods and shorter brewing can also decrease HMs extracted into tea infusions. Ongoing research should further investigate phytoremediation and genetically engineering tea cultivars. Consuming contaminated tea poses cumulative risks, so sustainable agriculture and pollution control are vital to minimize HM exposure and protect public health. This review enhances understanding HM dynamics, toxicity, and mitigation strategies for producing safer tea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the increase in drug resistance of microorganisms and the tendency in using medicinal plants, the present study was carried out to investigate the chemical compounds of Thymol as a constituent of essential oil and antimicrobial activity against several pathogenic bacteria and its antioxidant activity. In this study, the chemical compounds of Thymol extracted from the two parts of the plant together (the leaves and stems) were performed by making use of gas chromatography and the other gas chromatography linked to the mass spectrograph and its antibacterial activity against Ecoli, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Salmonella Paratyphi B, Salmonella Typhi typhus and Enterococci through Microdilution and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were investigated. The antioxidant activity of essential oils was measured through the ability of essential oil compounds in decolorizing diphenyl picrilhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals. Chemical analysis of thyme essential oil resulted in the identification of 23 (83.68%) compounds, which Thymol with 25.30% was considered as the main part of the essential oil compound. The highest inhibitory effect was imposed on Klebsiella, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus, and the largest inhibitory zone diameter of essential oil appeared against growth S. paratyphi B. Concerning the results, total phenol was equal to 114.3 mg of gallic acid.g and IC50 of thyme was considered to be 49.94 μM/ml. The achieved results from this study declared that thyme essential oil had a suitable inhibitory effect against pathogenic bacteria and also possessed antioxidant properties. In other words, thyme was considered as an alternative to synthetic drugs and food additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey is a unique food product containing bioactive compounds derived from bees and plants Nowadays, animal food products that may contain antibiotic residues have caused a lot of concern for the consumers. The presence of antibiotic residues in honey may be harmful to human health. One of the most important risks of antibiotic residues in food products is the occurrence of drug resistance in pathogenic bacteria in the body. Regarding the complications caused by these residues, the present research has investigated sulfonamide antibiotic residues in the honey samples consumed in Qazvin province. The present research is a cross-sectional study performed in different regions of Qazvin province in 2019. For this purpose, 80 honey samples were collected from different regions of Qazvin. The samples were transferred to the food safety laboratory of the Health Faculty under proper conditions. First, the samples were tested to check the sulfonamide antibiotic residue by the semi-quantitative ELISA assay. The data were recorded in SPSS 23, and data analysis was done by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and (post hoc) Tukey test at the significant level of P 0.05. According to the results of the ELISA assay, 10-120 ng of sulfonamide antibiotic residue was found in 23.75% (19 samples) of the samples. The findings showed that the highest and the lowest sulfonamide concentrations were respectively reported as 30.81 and 6.26 ppb, and the average sulfonamide residue was obtained as 14.50 ppb. According to the results, more than 75% of the honey samples collected from Qazvin province are free of sulfonamide or contain a little sulfonamide concentration. The research showed that most of the honey samples collected from different regions of Qazvin province are free of sulfonamide or contain a little sulfonamide concentration. Regarding the important role of honey consumption in health and the wide use of antibiotics in beehives, it is necessary to take the necessary actions to control the quality of this product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of contaminated foodborne diseases has always been a major challenge all around the world. A huge amount of money is spent on treating these diseases every year. This study investigated the status of chemical and microbial contamination of confectionery products in Iran. Data were collected from electronic databases including Pubmed, Science Direct, Elsevier, SID, Magiran, and Google Scholar during 2001 - 2017. Search keywords included microbial contamination, chemical contamination, confectionery products, cream-filled pastry, and Iran. The results indicated that the highest contamination rates in South Khorasan, Tehran, Gorgan, and Isfahan were related to Staphylococcus aureus (80%), Escherichia coli (57%), Enterobacteriaceae (25.1%), and yeasts (100%), respectively. Moreover, the least prevalent pathogens in west of Tehran, Tabriz, east of Gilan, and south of Tehran were S. aureus (4.81%), Coliform (2.51%), Bacillus cereus (1.2%), and E. coli (2%), respectively. In addition, there was no Salmonella in southeast of Tehran and Yasouj. Most confectionery products contained unauthorized artificial dyes, and authorized artificial dyes were also overused. The most commonly used artificial dye was sunset yellow with 80% use in Arak. Moreover, 100% of the samples in Arak contained unauthorized artificial dyes. Confectionery products are an important part of food products in the country. The likelihood of microbial and chemical spoilage of these products increases due to the use of such ingredients as eggs, milk, and color additives. Further training and supervision on the preparation and maintenance of these products by the local health authorities can be effective in reducing the contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]