Elemental Distribution and Health Risk Assessment of the Edible Fruits of Two Ficus Species, Ficus sycomorus L. and Ficu
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Elemental Distribution and Health Risk Assessment of the Edible Fruits of Two Ficus Species, Ficus sycomorus L. and Ficus burtt-davyi Hutch Olumuyiwa O. Ogunlaja 1 & Roshila Moodley 1
&
Himansu Baijnath 2 & Sreekantha B. Jonnalagadda 1
Received: 20 November 2019 / Accepted: 15 January 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Edible fruits of two indigenous medicinal Ficus species (Ficus sycomorus L. and Ficus burtt-davyi Hutch) collected from eight different sites in South Africa were assessed for nutritional value, elemental concentration, and the possible risk associated with their consumption. The metal concentrations in the fruits and growth soil were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results showed elemental concentrations in the fruits to contribute significantly to recommended dietary allowances and were found to be in decreasing order of Ca > Mg > Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Cr and Ca ˃ Mg ˃ Fe ˃ Mn ˃ Zn ˃ Cu for both F. sycomorus and F. burtt-davyi fruits. The results for proximate composition of F. sycomorus fruits were (in %) 55.8 for moisture, 25.3 for carbohydrates, 5.6 for protein, 8.9 for fats, 55.8 for crude fiber, and 4.4 for ash; for F. burtt-davyi fruits, it was (in %) 78.9 for carbohydrates, 5.0 for protein, 8.4 for lipids, 4.0 for crude fiber, and 3.7 for ash. The health risk assessment showed target hazard quotient, and hazard indices for all the studied heavy metals in the fruits for all the sites were to be less than one and the target carcinogenic risk values to be within the acceptable regulatory cancer risk range. This study confirms that the fruits of F. sycomorus and F. burtt-davyi are safe for human consumption due to low noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic adverse health effects. Keywords Heavy metals . Ficus sycomorus L . Ficus burtt-davyi hutch . Recommended dietary allowance . Human health risks
Introduction Trees have been an essential part of human survival from the earliest time, providing basic needs such as shelter, firewood, medicine, and food. The use of indigenous plant foods to treat medical conditions of people dates back to time immemorial. Many Southern African trees have edible fruits, most of which are yet to be domesticated and developed into commercial crops [1]. Wild fruit trees are important to rural people, especially children, as they introduce nutrient diversity to the diet in an environment where food choices are limited. In addition, the vitality of fruits to the human diet is linked to healthpromoting components such as vitamins, essential minerals,
* Roshila Moodley [email protected] 1
School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
2
School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
antioxidants, and prebiotics (fibers) [2]. Epidemiological studies have shown an inverse correlation between the consumption of fruits and the incidence of chronic diseases such as cancer [3, 4], diabetes [5], and heart di
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