Determination of trace elements in the seeds of fruits using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) in Arak, I.R. Iran Pourimani Reza 1 • Fathivand Aliasghar 2 • Meighani Elham 1 Received: 15 October 2017 Ó Akade ´miai Kiado ´, Budapest, Hungary 2017 Abstract In this study, four fruit’s seed samples as Punica granatum L., Citrus medica var. limonum, Malus domes- tica L. and Citrus vulgaris Risso were prepared from Arak’s markets. They were analyzed using instrumental neutron activation method (INAA). In this method, Tehran research reactor as a neutron source and relative INAA method has been used as the analysis method and to record gamma ray spectrum, the high purity germanium detector was used. Pomegranate seeds had the highest number of essential elements. Apple seeds and sour orange seeds contain the highest levels of Mg and K, Respectively. Keywords Fruit Á Trace element Á Neutron activation Á Seed Á Arak Á Iran Introduction Determination of trace elements including also toxic ele- ments is necessary in human foods. Decrease of useful ele- ments or increase of toxic elements brings up some short comings or serious diseases, respectively. In each area, the absorbed elements in foods is different, as foods might be produced in area which is contaminated by industrial material or these materials are exceptionally abundant in soil [1]. One of the most importance mineral compounds storage in seeds is phytate, a mixed cation salt of phytic acid. Phosphorus, phytic acid and phytate in seeds and fruits are found to be significant. Phytic acid has 12 hydrogen (on the 6 phosphate groups) Which are dissolved in water. These negatively charged bind mainly K ? and Mg 2? but may also form salts with other compound including Ca 2? , Mn 2? , Zn 2? , Ba 2? or Fe 3? [2]. Fruit has been recognized as a good source of vitamins and minerals. The nutrients in fruit are vital for health and maintenance of our body. People who eat fruit as part of an overall healthy diet generally have a reduced risk of chronic diseases. In Iran, the seeds of some fruits are used as drugs. The potassium in fruit can reduce risk of heart disease and stroke for human. Folate (folic acid) helps the body form red blood cells and also helps prevent neural tube birth defects, such as spina bifida [3]. An ultrasensitive nuclear analytical technique, analysis by neutron activation method is applied for determination of halogens. This technique is an appropriate method because samples can be analyzed simultaneously for large number of elements with more precise measurement results. INAA is nondestructive measurement method and there is no need for sample digestion and only a few amounts of samples are needed. In this paper the Fe, Zn, Sc, Sb, Cr, Br, La, K, Na, Al, Mn and Mg values of four kind of fruit seeds from Iran have been measured using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) method. These seeds are often used in Iran as herbal Medicine. Lastly, a comparison between this results and some other reported results, were done. Experimental Sampling and sample preparation In this work, 50 fruits of each kind of fruits were randomly collected from the local market of Arak city in Iran which & Pourimani Reza r-pourimani@araku.ac.ir 1 Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Arak University, Arak, Iran 2 Radiation Applications Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Tehran, Iran 123 J Radioanal Nucl Chem DOI 10.1007/s10967-017-5634-y