Copper and Iron Levels in Cow Meat: A Case of the Dietary Intake of the Urban Population in Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the concentration of iron and copper in the muscle and edible offals of Nigerian raised cow and also estimated the dietary intake of these metals through cow meat consumption. The dried meat samples were digested with a 3:2 HNO₃/HClO₄ mixture and analysed for the metals with an AAS while the dietary intake was estimated using a one week food frequency questionnaire administered to 755 subjects over a period of three years. The ranges of detectable values (mgkg^-1) were Cu (2.55-77.42) while Fe (89.17-372.23). Except for 83% of liver samples, the other parts were below the FAO/WHO permissible limit for Cu.  Results of the weekly intake of different meat parts in µg/kg body weight /week by the different population studied were in the range; adult men (6.51-134), adult women (6.51-185), pregnant/lactating women (4.38-146), undergraduate students (7.2-184) and school children (10-345) for copper while iron gave: adult men (421-1060), adult women (227-1058), pregnant/lactating women (153-701), undergraduate students (252-1036) and school children (341-1692). The weekly intakes of the two metals were lower than the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) as stipulated by Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JEFCA). However, higher % values of PTWI were recorded for school children.

Key Words: Copper, Iron, Cow, Dietary intake, Nigeria