Environmental contamination with potentially toxic elements is a growing concern for ecosystem quality and food safety. This study evaluated the relationships between environmental conditions, anthropogenic activities, and the elemental composition of Prunus spinosa fruits collected from western and central Romania along a pollution gradient. Eighty samples from ten sites representing non-polluted, agricultural, traffic-exposed, and mining-affected areas were analyzed by ICP-MS after microwave digestion. Fruits from impacted areas showed compositional differences, including lower concentrations of some essential macroelements and higher levels of several trace elements potentially associated with anthropogenic pressure. Increased sodium, aluminum, and silicon contents were consistent with environmental stress and enhanced environmental exposure and possible soil-derived particulate influence, while boron and molybdenum declined with pollution intensity. Elemental patterns were mainly associated with local environmental conditions and appeared consistent with site-specific environmental influences. Food safety assessment indicated generally low to moderate risk depending on sampling origin. Overall, Prunus spinosa fruits showed potential as a bioindicator of environmental quality and a useful tool for monitoring anthropogenic contamination.

Traditional Romanian Pălincă is a protected fruit spirit obtained from fermented fruit matrices, whereas honey- and botanical-enriched Pălincă-based beverages require integrated compositional and technological characterization. This study investigated the physicochemical, chromatic, antioxidant, and ICP-MS elemental profiles of experimental beverages prepared from grape- and plum-based Pălincă distillates enriched with honey, blackthorn, rosehip, or wood-associated materials under controlled artisanal conditions. Chemometric tools were applied to evaluate ingredient- and process-related differentiation, while target hazard quotient and hazard index calculations were retained as a concise screening-level elemental safety assessment. Honey enrichment produced the strongest compositional changes, mainly reflected by increased soluble solids, conductivity, turbidity, chromatic intensity, and mineral content, together with lower final alcoholic strength. Fruit-macerated and mixed honey-botanical beverages were associated with higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity. ICP-MS profiling highlighted potassium as the dominant macroelement, while Cu, Fe, Zn, and Mn were the main technological trace elements. Potentially toxic elements remained at low concentrations, and the screening-level THQ/HI assessment indicated low non-carcinogenic elemental risk under the applied exposure scenario. Overall, the results show that ICP-MS elemental profiling can support the technological and ingredient-related differentiation of experimental Pălincă-based beverages, while toxicological interpretation should remain limited to elemental exposure screening.

Urban environments may influence elemental exposure from wild edible fruits. This study evaluated spatial patterns, soil-to-organ concentration ratios, and food-safety implications of potentially toxic elements in soil and four Sambucus nigra organs collected from 94 sites across five ecological sectors in Oradea, Romania (470 samples). Elements were determined by ICP-MS, and the data were evaluated using soil-to-organ concentration ratios, multivariate analyses, regulatory assessment, dietary-exposure assessment, and non-carcinogenic risk analysis. Elemental profiles varied strongly by matrix and sector, with concentrations generally highest in the central urban sector (Z2) and lowest in the woodland-associated sector (Z4). Bark exhibited the highest soil-normalized concentration ratios for potentially toxic elements; however, because bark was analyzed unwashed, these values may include surface deposition and should not be interpreted as evidence of greater internal accumulation relative to the rinsed organs. In fruits, Cr and Ni were detected in 97.9% and 94.7% of samples; Pb, Cd, As, and Sb occurred mainly in Z2, while Hg remained below the detection limit. Z2 fruits contained 5.92 ± 1.10 detected potentially toxic elements per sample, compared with 1.61 ± 0.61 in Z4. No fruit sample exceeded the applicable EU maximum levels for Pb or Cd. For the additional elements evaluated through the screening-level dietary exposure assessment, all calculated THQs and partial HI values were below 1 under the adopted exposure assumptions. The results indicate a pronounced urban multi-element signal but no appreciable non-carcinogenic concern under the adopted assumptions.