Evaluation of the Essential Metal Contents of Some Edible Fruits Obtained from Some Towns in Nigeria and Niger Republic

The determination of some essential metals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, manganese, zinc and copper content of banana (Musa sapientum), guava (Psidium guajava), mango (Mangifera indica) and water melon (Cucumis melon) edible fruits as obtained from some towns in Nigeria and Niger Republic has been carried out. The analyses for sodium and potassium contents were done using the flame emission method while atomic absorption spectrophotometric method was used in the analysis of the remaining metals. The results showed that guava and banana contain the highest levels of sodium, potassium and calcium while mango had the least amount of these metals. It was also observed that guava contain the highest amount of zinc, and thus provides highest nutritional value in comparison with the other fruits. The levels of manganese and copper were found to be low when compared to the other metals while there are observable differences in the average metal levels in the watermelon sourced from Niger Republic and those from Hadejia, Nigeria.