Levels of Heavy Metals in Street Vended Fried-Cocoyam (Xanthosoma Sagittifolium) Chips Sold along Sango - Oshodi Expressway Nigeria

Abstract

Heavy metals have been reported to have positive and negative roles in human life. Eighty samples were purchased from vendors, twelve samples of raw materials and thirty six samples were collected along processing line. The samples were digested carefully and metal elements were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Analyzed iron, lead, cadmium and arsenic in raw materials used by the three processors ranged from 0.000 to 16.010, 0.000 to 0.013, 0.000 to 0.155 and 0.250 to 0.809mg/Kg respectively. Heavy metal contents of samples taken along the processing line ranged from 0.00, 0.222 to 0.226, 0.758 to 0.959 and 0.00 to 0.801 mg/Kg  for lead, arsenic, iron and cadmium respectively. The content of iron, cadmium and arsenic of street vended samples ranged from 0.653 to 0.8, 0.00 to 0.10 and 0.221 to 0.225 mg/kg respectively The results of the present study showed that metal elements except arsenic were within the NIS maximum permitted level (0.1mg/kg for lead, cadmium and arsenic; 1.5mg/kg for iron) by Nigerian Industrial Standard and Codex Alimentarius for street vended food.

Keywords: Heavy metals, Street vended food, health, contaminants, Cocoyam, Xanthosoma sagittifolium.