Development of Analytical Method for Assessment of Selected Toxic Trace Elements in Fresh Fruits from Turabah Valley by ICP-OES

摘要

The contents of selected toxic trace elements (TTEs) namely, Al, Ni, Co, Mn, Cr, Pb, As, and Cd were assessed in fresh fruit samples from Turabah Valley. These samples include date palm (rutab), cantaloupe melon, watermelon, lemon, mandarin, grape, pomegranate and tomatoes. The dried powdered samples were digested by a microwave using a 1:2.5 mL mixtures of H2O2 and HNO3 and TTEs levels were analyzed by using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). The developed analytical method was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, detection and quantification limits that provided satisfactory results in all cases. It was found that Al, Mn, Pb, As, and Cd were detected in most analyzed samples, while other analytes were below the detection limits of the method. A considerable variation were observed with regard to TTEs concentrations in different studied fruit samples. TTEs contents of fruits were compared with those of soil and well water used for irrigation in the same area. The estimated contents of studied elements were within the critical safety levels specified by the FAO/WHO/SASO. This indicated that the residents may not face any public health harmful effects due to fruit consumptions, in spite of that some regular monitoring were need both at the farm and the table. Some physico-chemical properties such as moisture contents (%), ash contents (%) and total solid contents (%) of fruits were also estimated and compared with the reference values. Student t-test, ANOVA test, and Microsoft excel were employed to estimate the significance of values obtained.