LEVELS OF SELECTED ESSENTIAL AND NON-ESSENTIAL METALS IN THE SOIL AND GINGER (ZINGIBER OFFICINALE) CULTIVATED IN KAMBATA ZONE, HADERO TUNTO WOREDA CENTERAL ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Ginger is a common spice and condiment for many foods and beverage. Its extracts are widely utilized in the culinary, beverage, and confectionary industries for making product like liquors, biscuits , pickles, chutney, marmalade and ginger beer. The levels of essential (Ca, Zn, Cu, Co, Cr, Mn, and Ni) and non-essential (Pb) metals in ginger cultivated in four different sites of kembata zone Ethiopia and the soil where it was grown were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. 0.5 g of oven dried ginger and soil samples were digested using 3 mL of HNO3 and 2 mL of HClO4 at 230°C for 2:30 h and a mixture of 6 mL aqua-regia and 2 mL H2O2 at 250°C for 3 h, respectively. The mean metal concentration (mg/Kg dry weight basis) ranged in the ginger and soil samples, respectively, were: Ca (874–1253, 801–1550), Zn (4.16– 7.1, 48–110), Cu (3.3–5.4, 8.4–13.3), and Mn (231–321, 527– 673), the other metals like Pb, Cr, Ni and Co were not detected in both the ginger and soil samples. There was good correlation between some metals in ginger and soil samples. This study revealed that gingers samples taken from sample site are good source of essential metals and free from toxic metal Pb, Cr, Co and Ni.