Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences: Research Areas

Abstract:
Metal contaminants (Ni, Cr, Cd, Mg, Mn, Pb, Fe, Cu and Ca) were investigated in some selected foods ground separately using locally grinding mills and pestle and mortar. Beans and tomatoes were selected for the investigation due to their wide usage as sources of protein and certain nutritional elements particularly in Nigeria and Africa in general. These raw food materials were purchased from market, treated and ground using locally fabricated mill and pestle and mortar. Representative samples of each food material were ash and standard solutions were prepared for analysis. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to determine the metal contaminants that might have mixed up with the ground samples. Results obtained indicated that contaminants found in beans ground using locally fabricated grinding machines include Fe (2.66ppm), Mg (101.24ppm) and Ca (0.5ppm), while those found in beans pounded using pestle and mortar includes Mg (102.05ppm) and Ca (0.5ppm). Contaminant found in ground tomatoes includes Fe (26.33ppm), Mg (102.71ppm), Ca (0.25ppm) and Mn (0.14ppm) while pounded tomatoes using pestle and mortar includes Fe (7.00ppm), Mg (103.36ppm) and Ca (0.3ppm). The remaining elements not detected in the samples are among the element sometimes found in food and regarded to be hazardous to health. This showed that ground food samples were free from hazardous metal contaminants and those elements found were essential elements of nutritional importance to human body.

Keywords: metal contaminant, nutritional element, grinding machine, mortar and pestle

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