Validated fast procedure for trace element determination in basil powder

An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopic (ICP-OES) method has been developed and fully validated for trace element determination in basil samples. The method involves the previous sample digestion, under pressure, with a mixture of HNO3, HCl and H2O2 inside a microwave oven, 42 elements were studied and 33 elements (Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, K, Se, Na, Sr, Tl, Ti, V, Zn, Sc, Y, La, Ce, Nd, Tb, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) were determined quantitatively in basil leaves obtained from Morocco and Spain. The method provided recovery percentages from 89% to 113% for spiked concentrations at mg kg−1 and μg kg−1. Accurate results were found for a certified reference material NIST 1573a Tomato Leaves. Data obtained from Moroccan and Spanish samples evidenced that the trace element profile of basil could be employed to identify the origin of samples.