ANIFOWOSE FLORENCE

Medical Biochemistry

At the Medical Biochemistry department office

Appointment on Visitation important

Topic: NUTRITIONAL TOXICOLOGY MINERALS, HEAVY METALS AND PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION OF COMMONLY CONSUMED LEGUMES IN NIGERIA

Description: Legumes are a sustainable crop, a valuable gift to humans, and will serve as a diversified diet in confronting the challenge of hunger and in the prevention and management of many health conditions. With the increase in the prevalence of many diseases, a lot of attention is being focused on improving nutrition and legumes have a high potential to assist in this regard. Heavy metals contamination of legumes along the supply chain from farm to the consumers, can make them unfit for consumption. Several studies have been done on the proximate composition of commonly consumed legumes in Nigeria, but there is a paucity of data on their level of heavy metals. The objective of this study is to determine whether the commonly consumed legumes and their products are similarly rich in minerals and safe to consumers across all zones in Nigeria. Seeds of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), soybean (Glycine max) groundnut (Arachis hypogeae), and locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) will be purchased from a metropolitan market from each of the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. Inductively-coupled plasma-optical emission spectrophotometer (ICP-OES) will be used to determine the mineral and heavy metal contents of the raw and processed legumes, after microwave digestion. Then the data would be used for consumer health risk assessment. This study will help ascertain how nutritive and safe these legumes are to current and potential consumers, thereby enhancing food security of populace in Nigeria.

#	Certificate	School	Year
1.	M.Sc (Membrane and Biophysics)	University of Ibadan	2006

Are commonly consumed legumes and their products in Nigeria similarly nutritious and safe?

This research being proposed is titled Are commonly consumed legumes and their products in Nigeria similarly nutritious and safe? It is expected to be completed within about eleven 11 monthsLegumes are a sustainable crop, a valuable gift to humans, and will serve as a diversified diet in confronting the challenge of hunger and in the prevention and management of many health conditions. With the increase in the prevalence of many diseases, a lot of attention is being focused on improving nutrition and legumes have a high potential to assist in this regard. Heavy metals contamination of legumes along the supply chain from farm to the consumers, can make them unfit for consumption. Several studies have been done on the proximate composition of commonly consumed legumes in Nigeria, but there is a paucity of data on their level of heavy metals. The objective of this study is to determine whether the commonly consumed legumes and their products are similarly rich in minerals and safe to consumers across all zones in Nigeria. Seeds of cowpea Vigna unguiculata , soybean Glycine max groundnut Arachis hypogeae , and locust bean Parkia biglobosa will be purchased from a metropolitan market from each of the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. Inductively-coupled plasma-optical emission spectrophotometer ICP-OES will be used to determine the mineral and heavy metal contents of the raw and processed legumes, after microwave digestion. Then the data would be used for consumer health risk assessment. This study will help ascertain how nutritive and safe these legumes are to current and potential consumers, thereby enhancing food security of populace in Nigeria.

ANIFOWOSE FLORENCE is a Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Medical Biochemistry

ANIFOWOSE has a M.Sc in Membrane and Biophysics from University of Ibadan