Determination of Heavy Metals and Micronutrients in Olives Grown Under Different Conditions

Heavy metals are extremely persistent in the environment; they are non-biodegradable and non-thermodegradable, and thus readily accumulate to toxic levels. When released into open areas, there is a risk that some heavy metals important for the industry will pass into human and animal bodies. Olive composition is also influenced by various environmental conditions like that of other foods. Therefore, concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Zn, Ni and Pb) and micronutrients (Mn, Mg, Ca, P and K) in table olive samples grown under different conditions (on a main road, in factory areas and on irrigated land) were investigated. Heavy metal and micronutrient levels in the samples were found to be 0.60 +/- 0.14-3.85 +/- 1.76, 14.51 +/- 0.42-64.82 +/- 4.23, 2.36 +/- 0.91-7.66 +/- 2.09, 0.100 +/- 0.064-0.415 +/- 0.049, 0.245 +/- 0.065-0.876 +/- 0.081, 3.20 +/- 0.82-8.29 +/- 0.41, 365.6 +/- 148.6-789.3 +/- 185.3, 780.6 +/- 102.8-1245.6 +/- 107.8, 901.6 +/- 194.0-1617.6 +/- 149.8 and 17953.3 +/- 3893.4-34430.0 +/- 7818.4 mg/kg for Cu, Fe, Zn, Ni, Pb, Mn, Mg, Ca, P and K, respectively. Cd, Co and Cr were not detected in all olive samples. The analytical results obtained for Pb and Cu show that they were below the legal limits established by the Codex Alimentariius and Turkish local table olive standards