Study of the content of heavy metals in the berries of the Vaccinium genus in the background areas of the North-West of Russia

Abstract

The study of heavy metal contamination of products of wild berries of the genus Vaccinium (blueberry, cowberry, cranberry), growing in intact forests in four regions of North-West Russia-Leningrad, Pskov, Novgorod and Vologda regions is carried out. It is established that the greatest accumulation in berries of all studied species is observed for zinc, chromium and manganese. At the same time, the excess of the maximum permissible concentrations was noted for other metals - lead and arsenic, the level of pollution was moderate. In relation to these pollutants, the most sensitive genus is cranberry. The most likely source is roads and logging activities. The obtained results indicate the need to control chemical contamination of food products of wild berries and to expand the range of controlled parameters, in particular, the establishment of maximum permissible concentrations for chromium and nickel due to their significant bioaccumulation in berries.