Heavy Metal Concentrations in Canned Fruits of <i>Litchi chinensis</i>, <i>Prunus persica</i>, and <i>Ananas comosus</i> Marketed in the Philippines

Abstract

Monitoring of heavy metals in consumer products is essential in order to aid in the production of safer food commodities for the Filipino public. Ten canned fruits commercially available in Metro Manila, Philippines were randomly selected for the study. Five brands of canned fruits of Prunus persica (peaches), three of Litchi chinensis (lychees) , and two of Ananas comosus (pineapple) were tested for lead, cadmium and chromium levels. The fruit and syrup portions were separately tested quantitatively for the said heavy metals through Flameless Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. Chromium was found to be present in nine out of the ten syrup samples from the canned fruits while cadmium is present in one syrup sample of canned peaches. All the amounts of the heavy metals were in acceptable chromium and cadmium levels for consumption. Lead was observed to be present in acceptable values in the solid fruits of all samples analyzed. Four syrup samples showed lead levels with the syrup from peaches exceeding the allowed safe limit. The rest of the syrup samples went below the detection limit of the instrument. Higher number of canned fruits and other canned products in the market must be analyzed with regard to lead, cadmium and chromium to complete the baseline data related to contaminants in these products for consumer safety.