ABSTRACT

Cow bones and horns were obtained from a local slaughter house located at Ikpoba slope, in Ikpoba Okha LGA, Benin City, Edo State. The sample were washed, degreased, sundried, ground to fine particles and analysed for macro, micro and toxic elements such as calcium, phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, chromium, lead, and cadmium. 1g of each sample was weighed (except phosphorus in which 0.5g was weighed for each sample) and digested using three digestion methods (calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, chromium, lead and cadmium was digested using nitric-hydrochloric acid digestion in ratio 1:3, phosphorus was digested using nitric-perchloricacid digestion in ratio 2:1, and nitrogen was digested using kjeldahl catalyst and concentrated sulphuric acid). The digestion solutions were taken for analysis using atomic absorption spectroscopy, flame photometry and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The studies revealed that for the macro minerals such as, calcium, phosphorus and nitrogen, the result obtained are 5.950mg/g, 3.010mg/g and 1.930mg/g respectively, in the bone sample and 2.840mg/g, 2.050mg/g and 1.990mg/g respectively, in the horn sample. For the micro minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, zinc and copper, the result obtained are 0.691mg/g, 0.103mg/g, 0.154mg/g and 0.998mg/kg in the bone sample and 0.721 mg/g, 0.092mg/g, 1.999mg/g and 1.998mg/kg in the horn sample. Toxic elements such as lead and chromium were found to be lower in bone sample while cadmium was found to be more in bone sample than horn sample.