Mineral content of two Mentha species (Mentha spicata L. and Mentha arvensis L.) growing in Kosovo

Fatmir Faiku, Albert Maxhuni, Bleron Faiku, Aurel Nuro, Premtim Rashiti, Arben Haziri

Abstract: Mint (mentha) is a plant that has been used for a long time, due to its healing properties. The plant has historically been cultivated in Egypt, and from there it has spread to Europe. Mint leaves have a pleasant aroma as well as a refreshing taste. Precisely because of its characteristic taste and aroma, mint is widely used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. Therefore, in this paper was investigated the mineral content of Mentha spicata L. and Mentha arvensis L. grown in Lipjan (a city in the central part of Kosovo). The mineral content of M. spicata L. and M. arvensis L. was determined in leaves and stems of thes plants. Concentrations of zinc, copper, iron, nickel, manganese, chromium, cadmium and lead were determined by the atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Microwave was used to decompose samples. The metal concentrations in the M.spicata L. samples are as follows: zinc (24.1-142.81 mg/kg), copper (11.82-97.67 mg/kg), iron (436.58-612.12 mg/kg), nickel (2.63-3.93 mg/kg), manganese (1.5-2.8 mg/kg), chromium (0.22-0.29 mg/kg), cadmium (0.71-0.83 mg/kg) and lead (0-0.034 mg/kg). On the other hand, the concentrations of metals in the samples of M. arvensis L. are as follows: zinc (36.95-366.85 mg/kg), copper (24.95-74.78 mg/kg), iron (170.71-1831.27 mg/kg), nickel (2.67-9.80 mg/kg), manganese (3.20-6.89 mg/kg), chromium (0.25-1.9 mg/kg), cadmium (0.67-0.80 mg/kg) and lead (0.0037-0.008 mg/kg). Of all the micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Ni), iron had the highest concentration which varies from 170.71-1831.27 mg/kg and then zinc whose concentration ranges from 24.1 mg/kg to 366.85 mg/kg. This study also showed that the Cd and Cu in the mint species were higher than that recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Keywords: atomic absorption spectrophotometer; Mentha arvensis L.; Mentha spicata L.; metal contents; microwave

Date published: 2022-12-09