Heavy metals in some date palm fruit cultivars in Saudi Arabia and their health risk assessment

Khaled F Salama,Muhammad Atif Randhawa,Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Al Mulla,Osama Ahmed Labib

doi:10.1080/10942912.2019.1671453

Khaled F Salama, Muhammad Atif Randhawa + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/10942912.2019.1671453

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Date fruits have ample amount of beneficial minerals but owing to diverse causes may contract with heavy metals and contaminants during field, processing, or transportation posing health challenges to consumers. Hence, current research explored the toxic heavy metals (Al, As, Cr, Pb, Cd, and Sb) levels in seven date varieties (Sakay Mabroum, Sakay Normal, Rashadya Al-qaseem, Barny Al-Madina, Eklas Al-Hassa, Safawy Al-Madina, Kadary) collected from different locations of Saudi Arabia by applying inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Mean values of heavy metals were calculated and expressed. Most of the heavy metals with the exception of As, Pb, and Cd are within safe limit with respect to maximum allowable levels (MAL) in some date cultivars. Estimated daily intake (EDI) of heavy metals through dates consumption (100 gram/person/day) for As and Pb exceeded the Provisional maximum tolerable daily intake from some locations. Although Cd content was exceeding MAL; however, its EDI is well within safe limits of Provisional maximum tolerable daily intake. From EDI data, hazard risk index was also calculated, which predicted that both As and Pb can pose potential health hazards to dates consumers in Saudi Arabia. However, Pb contributed greater health risks due to date fruit consumption as compared to Arsenic.

Highlights

Date palm (Phoenix dactyllifera) is native to Arab soils and has numerous varieties, each having its own taste and nutritional profile
Among the individual metals: arsenic, antimony, and cadmium depicted highly significant difference in concentration depending upon locations while aluminum, chromium, and lead illustrated significant effect depending upon locations
The arsenic contents of remaining cultivars is higher than the half value of maximum allowable levels (MAL), which mean that arsenic contamination can be serious health risk for human beings

Summary

Introduction

Date palm (Phoenix dactyllifera) is native to Arab soils and has numerous varieties, each having its own taste and nutritional profile. Heavy metals (HMs) are substances that have ability to cause toxicity in living tissues and can cause cancer at drastic levels These HMs are being increased due to numerous environmental factors like mining, fertilizers applications to soils, industrial emissions, metallurgical operations, and nonbiodegradation of various metals. These can cause stress in plants leading to augmentation in their tissues conferring negative consequences in consumers.[2] Monitoring of HMs in date palm is very crucial as it has ability to grow in diverse climatic conditions and grows along the roads, residential zones, rural areas, and industrial zones where they are vulnerable to pick pollutants.[3,4,5]

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