Assessment of heavy metals in selected vegetables sold at Ibaka Market Akungba Akoko, Ondo state Nigeria
Abstract
A general concern about the safety of foods has been on the increase in recent years. The increase in demand for food has drawn the attention of researchers to the risk associated with consumption of foodstuff contaminants i.e pesticides, heavy metals and toxins in vegetables. Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This work investigated four heavy metals (Pb, Cr, Zn and Cd) accumulation in four selected vegetables; Telferia occidentalis (fluted pumpkin), Chocorus oleitoros (jute mallow), Cucumbis sativus (cucumber) and Amaranthus hybridus (slender amaranth) obtained from Ibaka market in Akungba Akoko metropolis. The metals were analysed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) and it was observed that the concentrations of all metals are quite generally lower than the permissible limit by FAO/WHO in all the sampled vegetables. Statistical analysis for levels of the studied metals in T. occidentalis, C. oleitoros, C. sativus and A hybridus in the market samples showed significant differences in order of Zn>Cr꞊ Cd꞊Pb (p>0.05). It was deduced from this research that Zn as a heavy metal in the assessed vegetables has a larger part of the contamination against health risk for human consumption, therefore, it poses serious health risk concern.
How to Cite This Article
Ekundayo TO (2022). Assessment of heavy metals in selected vegetables sold at Ibaka Market Akungba Akoko, Ondo state Nigeria . International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Growth Evaluation (IJMRGE), 3(6), 208-211.