Determination of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Commercial Edible Vegetable Oil Sold in the Jordanian Market by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry

Abstract

This study investigates the levels of iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) in five varieties of edible vegetable oils (Olive, Corn, Palm, Soybean and Sunflower oil) available in the Jordanian market. The analysis uses inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Our findings indicate that the Fe, Cu and Pb levels in all oil samples (Fe concentrations were < 9 ppb, Cu < 2 ppb and Pb < 9 ppb) are well below the safety thresholds set by the FAO and WHO, suggesting that they can be consumed without any concern. This study confirms the effectiveness of ICP-OES for precise heavy metal detection in complex food matrices. The findings have significant implications for food safety and public health, especially regarding environmental contamination and its effects on food quality.