Summary
This field survey characterised the elemental composition of wild-grown yerba mate leaves across southern Brazil, establishing baseline concentrations for 32 elements across different geologic formations. The findings highlight yerba mate as a potentially rich source of manganese, zinc, and nickel, but reveal that cadmium concentrations in approximately 20–23% of samples approached or exceeded current legislative limits, suggesting that cadmium maximum acceptable limits for yerba mate warrant regional reassessment.
Regional applicability
This study is geographically specific to southern Brazil and provides baseline data for a crop cultivated primarily in that region. Whilst direct applicability to United Kingdom agriculture is limited, the methodological approach to establishing elemental backgrounds under varied soil parent materials and assessing contamination via foliar deposition could inform UK food safety protocols for imported yerba mate or guide similar assessments of UK-grown specialty crops.
Key measures
Concentrations of 32 elements (As, Ag, Be, Cs, Cr, Li, Se, Tl, U, V, Fe, Ti, Mo, Pb, Mn, Zn, Ni, Cd, P, Co, K, Na and others) in washed and unwashed yerba mate leaves; comparison against maximum acceptable limits (MAL)
Outcomes reported
The study measured 32 elements in yerba mate leaves collected from 30 native sites across three Brazilian states, with and without washing, to establish elemental background levels and assess foliar deposition. Key findings identified high concentrations of Mn, Zn, and Ni as potential nutritional sources, whilst flagging cadmium as a concern requiring regulatory reassessment.
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