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Metal content and distribution in fenugreek cultivated in Pakistan
Author(s) -
Naeem Sitwat,
Khan Farooq Ahmed,
Siddiqui Ishratullah,
Mahmood Naeem
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740680205
Subject(s) - atomic absorption spectroscopy , metal , environmental chemistry , heavy metals , chemistry , cadmium , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Abstract The metal contents in 42 fenugreek samples, cultivated in various agricultural areas of Pakistan, were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The concentrations of the metals—Cu, Mn, Cd, Ni, Co, Cr, Pb, Zn, Fe, Na and K—were found to be higher than those reported earlier. Particularly, the samples cultivated near the major industrial cities showed significantly higher levels of almost all the metals investigated in this study. The high concentration ranges of toxic metals, such as Cd 1·0–2·8, Pb 2·5–3·4, and Cr 17–19·8 mg kg −1 , in a fairly large number of samples suggest a possible increase of the overall intake of these metals to potentially harmful levels.