Determination of Fluoride Concentration in Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) using Selectiv- electrod technique

Background: Fluoride is characterized by high toxicity, especially in prolonged exposures. Some plants including Rosemary can higher of accumulate up to 20 000 times this element concentration in the environment. Consumption of highly fluoridated rosemary can contribute fluorosis and other body dysfunctions. Aims: This study aims to evaluate and optimize the extraction procedure of fluorides from the dried leaves of the plant, and compare the fluoride levels in collected samples. Methodology: nine of Rosemary samples from different countries including Libya, southern Serbia, Vojvodina and Istria were investigated in this study. Fluoride levels was determined potentiometrically using the calibration curve, via fluoride-selective electrode method based on lanthanum fluoride monocrystal. The sensitivity of the method was defined on the basis of 3SD criteria 3 using excel software. Results: fluoride concentration in investigated samples was varied. Libyan samples contained (1.8ppm) which is higher than other samples that ranged between 0.07 to0.49 ppm. However, all samples found to have fluoride concentration ranged with the recommended levels and less than the toxic or lethal doses. Conclusion: The modified potentiometric method using fluoride-selective electrode techniques for fluoride determination is highly effective with detection limit of 10 -9 mg/100g and is recommended in quantification of fluoride in Rosemary and other plant or spice samples. However, Results obtained by this study indicated that all samples contained different levels of in which all do not exceed the daily intake. Recommendations. Rosemary may offer an essential levels of required fluoride for daily intake. Further studies are recommended especially in areas with high fluoride content either in soil or via air pollution especially where rosemary is highly consumed to avoid fluorosis.