Análise da concentração de elementos potencialmente tóxicos em hortaliças cultivadas de modo convencional, hidropônico e orgânico
Abstract
In search of a better quality of life, it is currently common to look for organic products, which
tend to be seen as healthier, one of the reasons being the possibility of them having less
contaminants. Amongst the main contaminants are the potentially toxic elements (PTEs), as,
for instance, cadmium, copper, chromium and lead. Motivated by the risks posed by the
consumption of food contaminated with PTEs and the availability of vegetables grown by
different farming methods, this study analysed the concentrations of Al, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu,
Fe, K, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn in curly and smooth lettuce, collard greens, escarole and
rocket grown by conventional farming, hydroponics and organic farming, aiming to
investigate possible relations between the concentrations of PTEs and the farming methods.
The samples were obtained in the region of Sorocaba – SP in local commerce, and the
concentrations were determined by microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MPAES). Higher concentrations of Al, Ba and Fe were observed on vegetables from
conventional farming (C), when compared to those from organic farming (O), and the latter higher than those from hydroponics (H) (trend C > O > H). K, Pb and Zn showed the trend O
> C; Sr: C > O = H; Mn: C > O; Mo was present in a lower concentration on vegetables from
conventional farming; and for Cr and Cu no tendencies were observed. Cd, Co and Ni
concentrations were below the limit of detection in most samples and, therefore, it was not
possible to find any trend for these elements. In this context, for the studied samples, it was
not possible to affirm that a given farming method favours higher or lower concentrations of
the analysed elements in general. However, the knowledge about PTEs concentrations on
vegetables is fundamental to the monitoring of these species on the environment, as it is for
the maintenance of a food quality control.
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