Distribution Of Heavy Metal In Oil Extracts Of Some Nigerian Foodstuff

ABSTRACT

Technological advancement in this country (Nigeira) has led to an increase in toxic substances discharged into our environment through domestic, agricultural and industrial wastes. Heavy (trace) metals constitute a signigicant fraction of these wastes. These metals such as copper (CU), Nickel (NI), Maganese (Mn), Lead (Pb), Iron (Fe), etc are absorbed by plants (including oil crops) from soil, they accumulate in various storage tissues and when these plants are processed and eaten the metals get into human systems. This work studied the distribution of these metals in selected oil samples, which include palm oil, palm kernel oil, groundnut oil, soya bean oil and cotton seed oil. The oil samples were digested by wet   oxidation using a mixture of concentrated, sulfuric, sallcyllic and perchloric acids and the metals determined by the Atomic absorption spectrometer.