DETERMINATION OF NITRATE LEVELS IN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND ASSESS THE POTENTIAL HEALTH RISKS IN CHATTOGRAM CITY

Abstract

A recognized dietary additive, nitrate is a significant and natural component of the human diet. It’s a naturally occurring component of the nitrogen cycle found in fruits and vegetables. It is also in charge of defining the quality of vegetables. By evaluating the nitrate levels and the health hazards associated with excessive consumption of fruits and vegetables in Bangladesh, particularly in Chattogram city, this study seeks to establish a sensitive technique. Ion chromatography was used to test ten different fruit and vegetable species for nitrates. The cluster of fruits and vegetables evaluated for nitrate content was found using Ward's hierarchical cluster analysis. An assessment of the daily intake in terms of points was used to establish the health risks related to greater nitrate levels in fruits and vegetables. According to the findings, root and tuber vegetables accumulate much more nitrate than fruits and fruit vegetables (P 0.05). In a cluster analysis, the nitrate buildup in fruits and vegetables can be divided into two distinct clusters that account for 89 and 11% of the sample's overall nitrate content, respectively. With the exception of radish, practically all of the trialed samples' risk assessments of Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) and Health Risk Index (HRI) were within the permitted range, showing that Bangladesh's nitrate intake is in conformity with safety standards. Nitrate may have been a concern factor for health, so the product should be carefully inspected throughout cultivation and storage