You have no items in your shopping cart.
ABSTRACT
The contamination of heavy metals in plants overtime has been known to cause oxidative stress in plants. This study aimed to research and analyze the levels of the heavy metals; arsenic, lead, chromium and also the levels of the oxidative stress markers; Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) in tomatoes sourced from Ikpoba hill and Oba market in Benin city. After the analysis using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS), the SEM (Standard error of mean) values of lead and chromium were 0.22 ± 0.09, 0.006 ± 0.02 respectively in Ikpoba hill market and 0.24 ± 0.1, 0.01 ± 0.01 in Oba market while arsenic was not detected in any of the tomato samples. All values were below the standard permissible limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO)/ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which implies that the levels of the lead and chromium concentrations in the tomatoes is safe for human consumption. There was no significant difference in the concentrations of the lead, chromium, SOD and GPx across both markets (P˃0.05), while there was a significant difference between CAT and MDA concentrations across both markets (P˂0.05), also the lead and chromium concentrations in the tomatoes gotten across both markets will pose no significant health risks on humans (HQ˂1). This study is crucial as it helps to ensure that the levels of heavy metals in food produce is monitored to ensure food safety and public health.
