Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos, Nigeria; Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Nigeria; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville Campus, 7535, South Africa
Adepoju-Bello, A.A., Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos, Nigeria; Osagiede, S.A., Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Nigeria; Oguntibeju, O.O., Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville Campus, 7535, South Africa
Palm oil has been part of human diet for more than 5000 years. For generations, it has been revered as both a nutritious food and a valuable medicine. However, should be taken to evaluate the purity and safety of this nutritional and medicinal agent to the human system. This study investigated the concentration of cadmium, chromium, mercury, lead, arsenic and nickel in twenty-five samples of ready-to consume palm oil that were bought randomly from different markets in Lagos, Nigeria. The samples were digested with aqua-regia (2:1:2 HNO3:HClO4:H2SO4 respectively) and the digested samples were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. There was no detectable mercury in one of the twenty-five samples analysed. However, all the samples contained a detectable amount of each of the other five metals analysed. The Oral Component Limit (OCL) for cadmium, chromium, mercury, lead, arsenic and nickel as stated by USP are 0.5μg/g, 25 μg/g, 1.5 μg/g, 1 μg/g, 1.5 μg/g and 25 μg/g respectively. The samples contained detectable amounts of the metals although with values below the USP standard OCL. The results obtained from this study suggest that the palm oil samples analysed are save for consumption in terms of the metals of interest analysed. © 2012 Adepoju-Bello AA, et al.