Philippine E-Journals

Determination of Heavy Metals in Selected Food Products

Annabelle A. Ribo | Neizel C Dacua | Jamaica C Paragas | Karen Jill L Yu

 

Abstract:

In the Philippines, the obvious signs of a highly toxic environment can already be found in the air being inhaled, the water being drunk and even in the food being eaten. This study intended to determine the levels of cadmium, lead and mercury of three selected brands of apple juice, dark chocolate and fresh milk using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) with model Perkin Elmer PinAAcle 900 F. Analysis showed that the concentration levels from highest to lowest in terms of cadmium (Cd) were observed in apple juice, fresh milk and dark chocolate, respectively. For lead (Pb), the highest level was observed in fresh milk samples and this was followed by apple juice and dark chocolate. Lastly, the level of mercury (Hg) for the three selected food samples was shown to be the method limit of detection at <0.001ppm. Results further revealed that Cd, Pb, and Hg concentrations in food samples were within the tolerable limits indicating that the products are acceptable for human consumption. One-Way Analysis of Variance result showed that there was no significant difference on the level of Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury among the three food samples tested. This could imply that the contamination might have been due to the processing of the products and not on the raw materials used.