Effect of processing on variations of some toxic metals in edible portion of Dacryodes edulis (African pear) in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Man has benefited greatly by obtaining essential minerals directly when eating fruits in the raw, boiled, or roasted form. In this study, the effect of processing on variations of some toxic metals composition in the edible portion of raw, boiled, and roasted Dacryodes edulis (African pear) fruits grown in different parts of Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria was investigated using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The mean concentrations (in mg/kg) of these metals were as follows: lead (0.68, 0.50, 0.32), cadmium (0.60, 0.46, 0.40), copper (9.80, 8.00, 9.60), nickel (0.82, 0.46, 0.44) and chromium (0.76, 0.58, 0.52) for the raw, boiled and roasted form respectively. These results reveal that the raw samples contained the highest concentration of the metals followed by the boiled and roasted form. The results so obtained were within the recommended maximum acceptable levels proposed by the joint FAO/WHO Expert committee on Food and are comparable with those available in the literature. This study reveals that processing methods like boiling and roasting have profound effect on the level of accumulation these metals and thus can help to a reasonable extent in reducing the levels of toxic metals in the edible portion of Dacryodes edulis, a fruit consumed in most homes in Africa

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