Assessment of nitrate concentrations and dietary exposure from leafy vegetables in Montenegro

Abstract

Nitrate concentrations in leafy vegetables represent a major dietary source of nitrate exposure. This study assessed nitrate occurrence in leafy vegetables marketed in Montenegro and estimated dietary exposure in adults using a tiered EFSA approach combining deterministic and probabilistic models. A total of 71 samples (lettuce, spinach, chard, rocket, cabbage, and other leafy vegetables) were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-UV). The limit of quantification (LOQ) was 10 mg/kg fresh weight (FW) and left-censored results were treated using EFSA lower- and upper-bound scenarios. Nitrate concentrations ranged from 387 to 4,275 mg/kg FW, with the highest values observed in rocket and spinach. Sampling conducted in spring and autumn captured seasonal variability; however, production system information was available only for a subset of samples, limiting formal spatiotemporal comparisons. Dietary exposure was estimated using nationally representative consumption data (N = 1,513 adults). Mean nitrate exposure was 384 µg/kg bw/day (10.4% of the ADI), while high consumers (P95) reached 1,930 µg/kg bw/day (52% of the ADI). Overall, nitrate exposure from leafy vegetables does not represent a health concern for adults in Montenegro under realistic consumption conditions.