Natural radioactivity and radiological risk assessment of Saudi-grown coffee beans

Natural radioactivity in food products contributes to long-term internal radiation exposure and remains an important aspect of radiological food safety assessment. This study evaluates the activity concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides ( 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K) in coffee beans cultivated in southern Saudi Arabia and compares them with selected imported samples from Ethiopia and China. Seventeen coffee samples were analyzed using gamma-ray spectrometry with a 3 × 3 inch NaI(Tl) de