Plants tadiotionally used for infusion: Sample preparation techniques and determination of contaminants.

Abstract

Plants used for infusion preparation (teas) are expressively consumed in Brazil as aromatic beverage or in the treatment or reduction of several symptoms, however, this plants are several times purchased in stores where there is little or no information about their safety. Additionally, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária, ANVISA), cares about regulation, commercialization, and consumption of this plants in order to ensure the safety of these products. In this context, this study aims to evaluate and/or develop and validate the methods for determination of pesticides and inorganic contaminations (heavy metals) in plants traditionally used in Brazil for infusions preparation and then evaluate the presence of contaminants. Twenty-six samples of plants will be purchased in "house of natural products" in municipal market of Campinas and metropolitan areas and submit them to determination of 27 pesticides from the classes of organochlorine, organophosphorus and pyrethroids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Therefore, sample preparation techniques will be used to increase the analytical sensitivity and selectivity. Determination of inorganic contaminants will be performed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The analysis will be performed both in plants and in the infusions, in order to evaluate the migration of this compounds to the beverage. The infusions will be prepared according to The Phytotherapics Form of Brazilian Pharmacopeia