Occurrence of arsenic in fruit of mango plant (Mangifera indica L.) and its relationship to soil properties

Abstract

Arsenic is a highly toxic element and its presence in foodstuffs will do harm to human health. In this study, the levels of arsenic in the fruits of three mango cultivars (Mangifera indica L.) from Hainan Island, China were investigated and their relationships to soil properties were discussed. The concentrations of arsenic in the mango fruits ranged from 0.6 to 50μgkg−1 (FW) with a mean value of 8.6μgkg−1. The transfer factors (TFs) of arsenic from soil to fruit varied between 0.0001 and 0.055 with a mean value of 0.0059. Both arsenic concentrations in the mango fruits and TFs were negatively correlated with soil Al2O3, Fe2O3, and MnO concentrations that could be described by a power model (y=axb), suggesting that soil Al–Fe–Mn oxides may play an important role in limiting the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of arsenic in the mango fruits. In addition, arsenic accumulations in the mango fruits were influenced by the soil pH. Mango fruits from the soils with pH between 4.8 and 5.5 had relatively high arsenic concentrations and TF values.