RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MERCURY AS WELL AS CADMIUM AND ANTHOCYANIN CONTENTS IN WILD FOREST FRUITS FROM ENVIRONMENTALLY BURDEN REGION OF THE SLOVAKIA

Abstract

Relationship between total mercury as well as cadmium contents and total anthocyanins content in wild forest fruit berries collected in environemtally burden region of Stredny Spis in the Slovakia was investigated in this study. From the sampling points of different localities of this region small berries were sampled: blackberries (6 localities), blackthorns (5 localities), rosehips (6 localities), hawthorn fruits. Metal determinations were performed in a Varian AA240Z (Varian, Australia) atomic absorption spectrometer with Zeeman background correction. Total anthocyanin content (TA) in fruits was determined spectrophotometrically using the spectrophotometer (Shimadzu UV/VIS – 1240, Japan). With exception of three samples in all other fruit samples the hygienic limit for Cd (30 μg/kg) given for foodstuffs by Slovak Republic Food Codex was exceeded. Only in one fruit sample the determined Hg content was higher than hygienic limit (30 μg/kg). Total anthocyanin content expressed as mg cyanidin equivalents/kg of fresh matter (mg CE/kg FM) was in range 370 – 830 in blackberries (Rubus Fruticosus), 2500 – 3000 in rosehips (Rosa rubiginosa), 213 in raspberries (Prunus spinosa) and 317 mg CE/kg FM in hawthorn berries (Crataegus laevigata). The strong statistical dependences between investigated parameters: Hg – TA in blackthorns, , Cd – TA in raspberries, Hg – TA in raspberries, Cd – TA in hawthorn and Hg – TA in hawthorn were confirmed based on the values of correlation coefficients (R= 0.6958, R= 0.9633, R= 0.9163, R= 0.8587 and R= 0.8938 , respectively).