Determination of Heavy Metals in Edible Palm Oil Adultrated with Plant Dye: Experimental Investigation

Abstract

From generation to generation, edible palm oil has been a staple of the human diet and has improved both nutrition and health. The goal of the current research was to determine whether it was possible to tamper with palm oil by adding natural potash (lake salt) and red dye made from the leaf sheath of sorghum bicolor. In order to create tainted palm oil with known concentrations and adulterant ratios, concentrations of potash and red dye ranging from 0.01-0.1% and 0.1-1.0%, respectively, were produced in water and added to fresh palm oil at oil/adulterant ratios ranging from 10:1-10:10. Adulterated samples underwent visual inspection for appearance, as well as sensory evaluation for quality indicators. Even at concentrations below 0.01%, the addition of potash caused the typical orange red hue of palm oil to become yellowish red, and it also produced a product with improved consistency. Zn 8.060.06, Cd 1.010.05, Ni 1.000.00, Co 125.910.09, Pb 9.300.07 Cobalt, Lead, and other heavy metals were found to be over the detectable level of the WHO standard, whereas Cd and Ni were within the permissibility limit. The findings of this study suggest that if sufficient oversight is not provided by regulatory bodies, palm oil might pose a risk to the public's health. As a result, from the point of production to the point of consumption, our local processed palm oil has to be better screened.