In this study, the specific activities of the radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs in popular pasta samples were measured. The risk indices of the equivalent of radium activity (Ra(eq)), the average annual effective dose received (AED), and the permitted consumption rate (CR) were calculated. 12 samples of pasta were collected from the food stores of Arak city. The specific activities of the mentioned radionuclides were measured by gamma-ray spectrometry using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector with a relative efficiency of 80%. The specific activities of radionuclides ranged from the minimum detectable activity (MDA) to 2.55 for 226Ra, from MDA to 19.84 for 232Th, and from 44.3 to 88.2 for 40K in Bq/kg. The specific activity of 137Cs for all samples was ≤ MDA (0.88 Bq/kg). The average values for radium equivalent activity, annual effective dose, and allowed consumption rate were calculated as 8.11 Bq/kg, 9.31 µSv/y, and 491 kg/y, respectively. The results indicate that the radiological parameters for the analyzed pasta samples are well below international safety limits, suggesting no significant radiological health risk to consumers.
