The mate tea (Ilex paraguariensis - St. Hil.) is a beverage broadly cultivated and consumed in Brazil. The radioactive traces present in three trademarks of toasted mate tea produced at the south of Brazil were analyzed. Measurements were carried out by gamma-ray spectrometry. The average value for the 40K activity measured for marks A, B and C was 1216 ± 8, 1047 ± 14 and 666 ± 13 Bq.kg-1, respectively. The 137Cs activity was lower than the limit of detection.
Gamma-ray spectrometry; Marinelli beaker; mate tea,; 40K
