Determination of the level of some elements in edible oils sold in Zaria, northern Nigeria.

Abstract

The human body uses oils and fats in the diet as an energy source, as a structural component and to make powerful biological regulators. The significance of trace metals and toxicological effects of heavy metals on human health and nutrition have been increasingly studied in recent years. Micronutrients play a role in cellular defences, acting both as ‘sinks’ for free radicals or by being involved in the activity of the enzymes required to deal with the oxidative products e.g. zinc and copper in superoxide dismutase. Presence of metals in edible oil could be from soil or during the manufacturing process. In this present study, the levels of some metals were determined in vegetable oils sold in Zaria, Nigeria. The concentration ranged from 19.10-110.6, 0.34-2.77, 0.01-0.34, 0.05-0.84, 0.02-0.25, 0.01- 0.08, 0.14-0.91, 0.34-0.97 mg/kg for sodium, cadmium, lead, chromium, aluminium, copper, manganese and nikel.

KEY WORDS: oil, metals, human body