Toxic Trace Metals Assessment in some Fruits Sold along Roadside (Major Threats to Food Safety) and Farmland in Minna Niger State Nigeria

Abstract

Fruits directly from farmland and those sold along major roadside and highways with intense vehicular movement have been major threats to food safety especially in capital cities of Nigeria.  The study aim to determine the concentrations of toxic trace metals in some fruits sold along roadside (major threats to food safety) and farmland in Minna Niger State, Nigeria were ascertain using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The fruits used for the study were harvested fresh from Maizube farm and same fruits were also purchased from roadside sellers along Minna city gate and these were done in triplicates. The level of some trace metals such as Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), and Mercury (Hg), were investigated in the edible portion of Carica papaya (Pawpaw), Citrullus lanatus (Water melon), Citrus sinensis (Orange), and Musa acuminate (Banana) sold along roadside and farmland in Minna Niger State Nigeria.  The results showed that trace metals in fruits sold along roadside were higher than the WHO/FAO permissible limit of metal in fruits. There is significant different (P<0.05) between the fruits sold along roadside and that of farmland. Citrullus lanatus recorded the highest contamination in all metals. The order of contamination in the fruits sample for trace metals was Citrullus lanatus > Musa acuminate > Carica papaya > Citrus sinensis. The study concludes that fruits products exposed by the roadside are subject to contamination by automobile emission, and values obtained in this study were above the  FAO/WHO maximum permissible limit of metals in fruits. This suggests that those who constantly depend on such fruits are likely to be exposed to food poisoning by these heavy metals.