Analysis of some heavy metals in foodstuffs contaminated with pesticides using a developed spot-test method

Abstract

The need for food security is a call for a simple and quick spot-test that can be used for the detection of contaminated grains and foodstuffs. Mostly, stored grain foodstuffs contained heavy metals due to metallic pesticides applied against pest infestation and environmental metallic contact during production processes. Foodstuffs samples of white beans, red Guinea corn, and white maize corn were purchased from five markets in Makurdi Town. Pesticide residues were extracted from the samples with hot, distilled, and deionized water in a pressure hot water extraction system (PHWES), respectively. The water extract was used to assess the presence of metallic pesticide contents of some heavy metals with the spot-tests developed. The results show that the water extract from grain foodstuffs contained Al, Fe, and Zn in almost all the samples. This could be a result of the predominant use of metallic pesticides like aluminium phosphide insecticide for the storage of grain foodstuffs. The spot-test developed is a simple and veritable technique for checking metallic pesticides as contaminants on/in foodstuffs at the preventive stage. This spot-test will help to curtail the consumption of metallic pesticides from grain foodstuffs.