Heavy Metals in Street-Roasted Food and Home-Oven-Roasted Foods.

Kingsley Yusuff Oluwadamilare; Deborah Osinubi Adejoke; Hannah Anselm Oluwaseun; Badeji Abosede Adejoke

doi:10.4314/just.v41i2.1564

Mr. Kingsley Yusuff Oluwadamilare Department of Chemical Sciences, Tai Solarin University of Education https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2153-6617
Ms. Osinubi Adejoke Deborah Department of Chemical Sciences, Tai Solarin University of Education
Ms. Oluwaseun Hannah Anselm Department of Chemical Sciences, Tai Solarin University of Education https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3570-0915
Dr. Badeji Abosede Adejoke Department of Chemical Sciences, Tai Solarin University of Education https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9952-4618

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/just.v41i2.1564

Keywords: street-roasted food, home-roasted food, heavy metals, contaminants

Abstract

Economic crises have led to an increase in entrepreneurial activities like street food vending. However, roasting food on the streets can increase food contamination. This study compares the concentrations of heavy metals such as Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn in home-roasted and street-roasted chicken, maize, meat, fish, and plantain in Nigeria. The food samples were digested with acid, and the concentrations of these elements in the digests were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. The results showed that the concentrations of the heavy metals in street-roasted food were higher than in home-roasted food. The mean concentration of these metals in street-roasted food decreased in the following order: Fe > Mn > Pb > Cr > Cu > Cd and in home-roasted food in the decreasing order: Fe > Mn > Pb > Cr > Cd > Cu. Moreover, the total heavy metal concentration in street-roasted food followed the decreasing order: Maize > Meat > Chicken > Plantain > Fish, and in home-roasted food, the decreasing order: Fish > Chicken > Maize >Plantain > Meat. The highest risk among the heavy metals studied is posed by Pb, which is likely to pose a risk to both adults and children due to the Target Hazard Quotient of above 1. The findings emphasized the importance of monitoring and regulating the street food industry to reduce the health risks linked with consuming contaminated food.

Author Biographies

Mr. Kingsley Yusuff Oluwadamilare , Department of Chemical Sciences, Tai Solarin University of Education

KINGSLEY, Yusuff holds a B.Sc (Ed) in Chemistry from Tai-Solarin University of Education, Ogun State, Nigeria. He has a special interest in Environmental Chemistry with a focus on the study of Potentially toxic elements and their effects in the human system upon consumption.

Ms. Osinubi Adejoke Deborah, Department of Chemical Sciences, Tai Solarin University of Education

Osinubi Adejoke is an Organic Chemist and a Lecturer with over 10 years of teaching, research and mentorship experience. Her research is interdisciplinary and employs well-established methods as well as develops strategies for reaching new targets. Her primary research interest lies in drug design and development, synthesis of bioactive compounds for the treatment of human diseases and in the chemistry of natural products, their bioavailabilty, bioactivity and possible deterent to their usability by main. To this end she has done research, made presentations in conferences and published paper in reputable journals such as the journal of Chemical Society of Nigeria, Royal Society of Chemistry and Wiley among others. Her publications highlight her commitment to advancing knowledge in the field of organic chemistry (Synthetic and natural product) and the need to make compounds that can be used to tackle the continuous multidrug resistance of bacerial to already existing drugs available to mainkind.

Ms. Oluwaseun Hannah Anselm, Department of Chemical Sciences, Tai Solarin University of Education

Oluwaseun Anselm is an analytical and environmental chemist, academician in the , and researcher, who is dedicated to creating a healthier environment for all. With over 9 years of experience in the field, she has honed her skills in analytical chemistry and applied them to address environmental challenges. As an academician, she shares her knowledge and expertise by teaching with over 10 years of direct classroom and online teaching experience. Additionally, as a researcher, she is keen on conducting ground-breaking research on the impact of environmental factors on public health. She has been recognized with awards and honours, including Commonwealth Scholarship Award, Commonwealth Alumni Award, and publications in leading scientific journals. With a strong commitment to creating a better world for future generations, she enjoys advocating for a sustainable environment in Africa.

Dr. Badeji Abosede Adejoke , Department of Chemical Sciences, Tai Solarin University of Education

Dr BADEJI, Abosede Adejoke is a first-class chemistry graduate and a computational chemist lecturing at the Department of Chemical Sciences, Tai Solarin University of Education, Nigeria whose focus is on imparting knowledge in Chemistry to undergraduates and postgraduate students. With over 10 years of experience in teaching, research and mentorship, her areas of expertise involve employing computational studies to understand reaction mechanisms and the origin of selectivities in chemical reactions. In addition, she is interested in human health risk assessment of contaminants in E-waste recycling sites, soil, dust, food and the environment due to human activities. To this effect, she has presented papers at conferences and published papers in reputable international journals such as the American Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and Elsevier among others. Her publications highlight her commitment to advancing knowledge in the field of chemistry and addressing critical environmental and health-related issues.