1、Introduction 

As a traditional beverage in China, tea has a large planting area, variety, and a vast consumer market. However, with the deepening of global trade and the increasing food safety standards in various countries, the issue of heavy metal content in tea has gradually gained attention. Heavy metal elements in tea, such as lead (Pb), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd), can be absorbed through various pathways including the soil, water sources, air, and tea processing, potentially posing a threat to human health. Therefore, accurate and rapid detection of heavy metal elements in tea is crucial.

Heavy metal elements in tea, such as lead (Pb), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd), can be absorbed through various pathways including the soil, water sources, air, and tea processing, potentially posing a threat to human health. Therefore, accurate and rapid detection of heavy metal elements in tea is crucial.

2、Limit Standard of Heavy Metals in Tea

To safeguard consumer health, various countries have established strict limits on the heavy metal content in tea. In China, the National Health and Family Planning Commission has issued the "National Standards for Heavy Metal Limits in Food," which specifies that the following heavy metal content limits for tea must not be exceeded:

- Lead (Pb):10 mg/kg

- Mercury (Hg):0.05 mg/kg

- Copper (Cu):10 mg/kg

- Zinc (Zn):50 mg/kg

These standards are designed to ensure the safety of tea products and protect public health by limiting the presence of harmful heavy metals in tea.

3、Test Method 

Currently, the analysis of heavy metals in tea mainly relies on instrumental and analytical techniques. Commonly used methods include Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS), Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (TXRF), spectrophotometry, electrochemical analysis,etc. Among them, TXRF technology has advantages of simple sample preparation process, no need for calibration and fast testing speed, making it an ideal choice for heavy metal analysis in tea.

4、Case

In this experiment, LANScientific portable Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer TX3000 was used to analyze trace elements of a tea.

Results

Figure(1)

Figure(2)

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5、Conclusion

TX3000 portable Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometer enables accurate and rapid detection of heavy metal elements in tea, providing technical support for tea quality control and food safety regulation. In addition, the TX3000 can also be used to explore the potential applications of TXRF technology in tea origin tracing, contributing to the sustainable development of the tea industry.