Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 134 (2024) 106540 Available online 14 July 2024 0889-1575/© 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. Malondialdehyde and heavy metal contents in Piper betel: Possible risks of heavy metals in human health Md Muzammel Hossain a,b,d,1 , Sunjida Jahan Tripty c,d,1 , Md Zaki Azam Shishir c,d , Shunkai Wang a,b , Ismail Hossain c , Alei Geng a , Song Han b , Daochen Zhu a,b,* a International Joint Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Biomass Biorefinery, Biofuels Institute, School of Emergency Management, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China b Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China c College of Agricultural Sciences, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh d Department of Health Science Care, Biodiversity Conservation and Fisheries Research Center, Dhaka, Bangladesh ARTICLE INFO Keywords: MDA Heavy metal Piper betel Hazards Health risk ABSTRACT The content of heavy metals in the food chain has grown due to human activities and rapid industrial growth. The accumulation of heavy metals in P. betel leaves and the related threat to human health were analyzed by using the AAS that was collected from eleven locations inside the city of Dhaka. High MDA contents indicated contamination in P. betel samples and can regulate biochemical activity by different potential toxic elements (PTEs). The P. betel samples revealed the highest mean concentrations of As (2.09 mg/kg), Pb (0.06 mg/kg), Mn (218 mg/kg), Ni (1.55 mg/kg), Cu (10 mg/kg), Zn (2.6 mg/kg), Cr (5.1 mg/kg), and Cd (0.003 mg/kg) and certain metal exceed the guideline value. Mn, Cr, and As mean values at the research sites are higher than the permitted concentration range. Among all metals, Mn was the most accumulated metal in leaves and enhanced hazard index (HI) and non-carcinogenic risk for children. Individual metal THQ values were all less than 1 (except Mn), indicating that consuming only one metal from betel samples would not pose a serious risk to one’s health. However, HI value (> 1) indicates a possible non-carcinogenic health risk to urban city people, especially in children. The assessment revealed that the allowable range of Cr and As content in betel leaves may enhance the carcinogenic risk (CR). Among heavy metals, the CR value of Cr indicated an enhanced cancer risk in children at L3, L5, L6, L7, L8, L9, L10, and L11 sites. This study shows from a health perspective that people who eat contaminated betel leaves are continuously exposed to metal pollution, which can have both carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic effects. 1. Introduction The rapid advancement of industrial technology and civilization has resulted in the presence of trace metal or heavy metal pollutants (Cd, Cu, Zn, Ni, Mn, Cr, As, and Pb) in the environment, particularly in farming plant, soil, water, and atmosphere. According to Andleeb et al. (2023), plants irrigated with wastewater revealed a rise in heavy metal contamination, and unprotected plant preservation next to an industrial area posing a risk to human health and the food chain. The worldwide environment is becoming more polluted with heavy metals due to sig- nificant increases in industrial activity, deforestation, and the residential dumping of garbage containing trace metals. Everyday many plants are increasingly being used for therapeutic purposes due to their lower side effects compared to synthetic pharmaceuticals (Dubey et al., 2022). This has raised concerns about the possibility of food contamination, espe- cially about feed and feed additives in piper betel products (Briffa et al., 2020; Ullah et al., 2021). Betel leaf extract may be utilized as a raw material to manufacture a wide range of products, including air fresh- eners, air conditioners, ingredients for food, medicines, and beauty products (Biswas et al., 2022). Many antioxidants, including as terpe- noids, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, and bioactive properties are present in betel leaves (Heliawati et al., 2022; Singh et al., 2023). * Corresponding author at: International Joint Laboratory on Synthetic Biology and Biomass Biorefinery, Biofuels Institute, School of Emergency Management, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China E-mail address: dczhucn@ujs.edu.cn (D. Zhu). 1 These authors contributed equally to this work. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Food Composition and Analysis journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jfca https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2024.106540 Received 6 May 2024; Received in revised form 9 July 2024; Accepted 11 July 2024