Determination of concentration of heavy metals in ginger using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy

Concentrations of four heavy metals (Ni, Zn, Cd and Pb) in two ginger varieties were determined using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS) with wet acidic digestion methods. Results showed that the concentration of zinc is 0.86 to 1.17 mg/kg in Hargama and 0.63 to 0.87 mg/kg in Bolbo varieties. The concentration of nickel for Hargama and Bolbo are 0.15 to 0.18 and 0.17 to 0.21 mg/kg, respectively. Zinc concentration in Hargema variety is statistically significantly different from Bolbo variety. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in nickel concentrations. Concentration of zinc is relatively greater than concentration of nickel in the samples. Concentrations of both metals are below permissible limits set by WHO/FAO and could not cause health problems. In addition to this, the concentration level of both metals is lower than toxicity levels. But concentrations of cadmium and lead metals were below the method detection limit.   Key words: Concentration, ginger, heavy metal, permissible limit, toxicity.