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C. Beena*
AICRP on MAP & B, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Kerala state, Pin-680656
Email: beenac2@gmail.com
Received-01.03.2026, Revised-14.03.2026, Accepted-27.03.2026
Abstract: The long pepper (Piper longum L.) is an essential medicinal spice commonly used in traditional healthcare. However, due to the growing threat of environmental pollution, the concentration of heavy metals in such medicinal plant materials poses a significant hazard. Therefore, an analytical technique based on ICP-OES which was developed for the quantitative determination of Cd, Cr, Pb, and Ni concentrations was validated in the long pepper samples. The method was tested for several validation parameters, which included linearity, LOD (limit of detection), LOQ (limit of quantification), accuracy, precision, and repeatability. Calibration curves obtained in the study showed excellent linearity with R² values ranging from 0.9988 to 0.9994. LOD and LOQ values determined in the analysis were found to fall within the ranges 0.05–0.20 µg/L and 0.15–0.60 µg/L, respectively. Results obtained in recovery studies ranged between 97.8% and 99.2%, and RSD was not greater than 3%. Determination of cadmium, lead, chromium and nickel in both farm and market samples showed that Cromium and Nickel were within permissible limits, whereas Cadmium and lead could not be detected at all.
Keywords: Piper longum, ICP-OES, Heavy metals, Method validation, Medicinal plants
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