Estimation of heavy metal contamination and antioxidant potential of Pakistani condiments and spices
Paper Details
Estimation of heavy metal contamination and antioxidant potential of Pakistani condiments and spices
Abstract
This study was conducted to detect and estimate some toxic metals present in branded (BS) and non branded (NS) condiments and spices widely used in Punjab, Pakistan. Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy was applied to determine the concentration of Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) in the studied samples where as the UV/Vis spectroscopy was used for evaluating the antioxidant potential of samples via 1, 1 diphenyl2picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free rad ical scavenging assay. On comparing the standards set by FAO/WHO, concentration of Cd and Ni was found higher in many of the samples. Minimum risk level (MRL) was also calculated by assessing the daily intake of samples and t test was applied using SPSS 13.0. Higher metal concentration in studied samples correlates with the metal pollution in soil, air and water, while higher antioxidant potential of NS substantiates the medicinal importance of condiments and spices.
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