Study of nitrate levels in fruits and vegetables to assess the potential health risks in Bangladesh

Abstract

Nitrate is a chemical compound naturally present in fruits and vegetables. This study aims at assessing the nitrate levels and health risks arising from high consumption of fruits and vegetables in Bangladesh. Sixteen species of fruits and vegetables were examined for nitrates using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Photo Diode Array (PDA) detector. Ward’s hierarchical cluster analysis was carried out to identify the cluster of tested fruits and vegetables for the nitrate contents. A point estimate of the daily intake was applied to find the health risks that arise due to elevated levels of nitrate in fruits and vegetables. The results show that root and tuber vegetables accumulate significantly higher levels of nitrate in comparison to fruits and fruit vegetables (P < 0.05). In cluster analysis, the nitrate accumulation of fruits and vegetables show four clear clusters contributing to 29.54%, 7.17%, 4.42%, and 58.57% of the total nitrate content in the entire sample. The risk assessment of the Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) and Health Risk Index (HRI) of almost all the tested samples was in the acceptable range, except for radish, thereby indicating the acceptance of risk due to nitrate intake in Bangladesh. As nitrate may have had risk factor for health, during cultivation and storing the product should be properly monitored.

Assessment of Non-carcinogenic Risk of Nitrate in Agricultural Products

“…Recently, Uddin et al examined the nitrate levels in fruits and vegetables, and assessed the health risks. They have claimed that the pathogenicity risk of almost all samples except for radish was within the acceptable range [39]. One study has reported the risk of THQ less than one [40], which is inconsistent with the results of the current study.…”

New Insights of Potassium Sources Impacts as Foliar Application on ‘Canino’ Apricot Fruit Yield, Fruit Anatomy, Quality and Storability

“…However, information about the preferred potassium levels for apricot is thus far limited regarding yield and fruit quality. Additionally, the side effects of anion correlated with potassium requires more studies since some salts may have some harmful effects on human health, especially when applied close to harvest [20]. Fortunately, the fruits of fruit trees have the lowest levels of nitrate accumulation compared to vegetable fruits, roots, tubers and leafy crops [20,21].…”

Food Safety in Local Farming of Fruits and Vegetables

“…Uddin et al [ 58 ] determined the concentration of nitrates in fruits and vegetables available in the local markets in Bangladesh and found that root and tuber vegetables contained the highest level of nitrates. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, in this study, the Health Risk Index (HRI) only exceeds the mandatory limit in radish and the estimated daily intake (EDI) was exceeded in radish for adults and radish, potato, cauliflower, and brinjal for children.…”