Estimated Dietary Intake of Essential Trace Elements from Selected fruits and vegetables in Minna town, Nigeria

Abstract

ABSTRACT

This study quantitatively evaluates the concentrations, dietary intake, and potential health risks of essential trace elements (Ni, Co, Se, and Mo) in selected fruits and vegetables using experimental and statistical analyses. Elemental concentrations were determined through atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), revealing higher levels of Ni (0.624 µg/g) in lettuce, Co (0.131 µg/g) in baobab leaf, Se (0.029 µg/g) in cucumber, and Mo (0.170 µg/g) in cucumber. Estimated daily intake (EDI) calculations indicated that vegetable consumption contributed significantly to dietary exposure, with mean values of Ni (0.3626 µg/kg.bw/day), Co (0.0182 µg/kg.bw/day), Se (0.0134 µg/kg.bw/day), and Mo (0.0614 µg/kg.bw/day). One-way ANOVA revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in elemental concentrations across different food groups, with post-hoc analysis confirming that vegetables contained higher concentrations of Ni and Co compared to fruits. Independent t-tests demonstrated significant variation in THQ and HI between fruits and vegetables (p < 0.05), with vegetables posing a higher health risk. Pearson correlation analysis showed strong positive relationships between elemental concentration and HI (r > 0.80, p < 0.05) for Co and Mo, while Spearman correlation confirmed similar trends in non-normally distributed data. Multiple linear regression identified Co as the most significant predictor of HI (β = 0.78, p < 0.01), indicating its substantial contribution to overall health risk. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) reduced data dimensionality and identified Ni, Co, and Mo as the primary contributors to health risks, with the first two principal components explaining over 85% of the variance. Monte Carlo simulation (10,000 iterations) estimated a 95% probability that cumulative HI values remain below the critical threshold of 1, indicating low immediate health risks but suggesting possible long-term concerns with excessive consumption. These findings emphasize the need for continuous monitoring of trace elements in food sources and dietary moderation to minimize potential toxicological effects.