TITLE:
Comparative Assessment of the Phytochemical and Selected Heavy Metal Levels in Cucumis sativus L. and Solanum aethiopicum L. Fruit Samples Grown in South Eastern and North Central Regions of Nigeria Respectively
AUTHORS:
C. C. Aniobi, O. Okeke, E. Ezeh, H. C. Okeke, K. O. Nwanya
KEYWORDS:
Cucumis sativus L., Solanum aethiopicum L., Phytochemicals and Heavy Met-als, North Central Region and South Eastern Region
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Resources,
Vol.12 No.8,
August
3,
2021
ABSTRACT: Studies were carried out to comparatively assess the phytochemical and
heavy metal levels in Solanum aethiopicum L. and Cucumis sativus L. fruit
samples grown in the South Eastern and North Central regions of Nigeria
respectively using standard analytical procedures and instrumentation. The
fruit samples were assayed for selected heavy metals (Pb, Cd and Cu) using
atomic absorption spectrophotometer after wet digestion of the samples. The
five detected phytochemicals (flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins and
glycosides) were present at varying amounts in the investigated fruit samples
from the South Eastern and North Central regions of Nigeria. The range of mean
values of flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins and glycosides in the S. aethiopicum L. fruit samples from the
two studied regions were 0.50 - 0.57, 0.53 - 1.26, 0.44 - 0.78, 1.12 - 1.93 and
0.40 - 0.50 mg/g respectively. The range of mean values of flavonoids, alkaloids,
terpenoids, saponins and glycosides in the C.
sativus L. fruit samples from the
two studied regions of Nigeria were 1.27 - 1.69, 0.53 - 0.55, 0.96 - 1.51, 0.41
- 0.83 and 0.90 - 1.74 mg/g respectively. The range of mean vales of Pb, Cd,
and Cu in the S. aethiopicum L. fruit
samples from the two studied regions were 0.15 - 0.24, 0 - 0.01, 0.78 - 1.12
μg/g respectively. 0.31 - 0.40, 0.02 - 0.05 and 0.62 - 0.96 μg/g were the range of mean values of Pb, Cd
and Cu respectively in the C. sativus L. fruit samples from the two studied regions of Nigeria. Of the
three investigated heavy metals, only Cd was at toxic levels in the C. sativus L. fruit samples from the
South Eastern and North Central regions of Nigeria. This is therefore a health
concern to the fruit consumers that includes these fruits in their habitual
daily fruit diets. Although the therapeutic and pharmaceutical benefits that would be derived from consuming, the investigated fruit
samples has been
shown in this study, there is therefore a possible risk of undue exposure to
environmental pollutants such as heavy metal, especially through growing these
fruits in polluted soils resulting from unwholesome anthropogenic practices.
For fruit consumers to derive maximum health benefits from consuming these
fruits, pollutants like heavy metals must be at non-toxic levels and this can
only be achieved by ensuring that these fruits samples are grown and harvested
in environments with less anthropogenic activities.