Abstract Spices are an essential part of our food preparations and are considered a potential source of health-protective components. However, spices may also contain some toxic substances primarily aflatoxins and heavy metals. This study aimed to quantify the level of total aflatoxins and three most toxic heavy metals i.e. lead (Pb), arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) in commercially available non-branded and branded spices. Furthermore, risk assessment through aflatoxins and heavy metals was performed by computing the values of Margin of Exposure (MOE) and Total Hazard Quotient (THQ), respectively. The concentration of aflatoxins was recorded higher in non-branded spices while heavy metals especially Pb was recorded higher in branded spices. MOE values for aflatoxins through spices consumption indicated that all age group of people were consuming aflatoxins above the threshold level. The THQ values for heavy metals toxicity assessment were found within the acceptable ranges. Females, especially above 24 years of age, were found at more risk as compared to male, due to their higher intake rate of spices.

中文翻译：

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通过摄入从巴基斯坦木尔坦市市场收集的品牌和非品牌香料对黄曲霉毒素和特定重金属的风险评估

摘要 香料是我们准备食物的重要组成部分，被认为是健康保护成分的潜在来源。然而，香料也可能含有一些有毒物质，主要是黄曲霉毒素和重金属。本研究旨在量化市售非品牌和品牌香料中总黄曲霉毒素和三种毒性最强的重金属，即铅 (Pb)、砷 (As) 和镉 (Cd) 的水平。此外，通过分别计算暴露边际 (MOE) 和总危害商数 (THQ) 的值，对黄曲霉毒素和重金属进行风险评估。非品牌香料中黄曲霉毒素的浓度较高，而品牌香料中记录的重金属，尤其是铅含量较高。通过食用香料获得的黄曲霉毒素 MOE 值表明，所有年龄组的人摄入的黄曲霉毒素均高于阈值水平。发现重金属毒性评估的 THQ 值在可接受的范围内。与男性相比，女性，尤其是 24 岁以上的女性，由于香料摄入量较高，风险更高。