HEAVY METAL AND MICROBIAL CONTENTS OF ROADSIDE ROASTED CORN AND PLANTAIN IN ALIMOSHO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

In Nigeria, West Africa, it is common practice to eat roasted food as snacks without being mindful of the health implications from the environment where it is roasted. This research work evaluated the level of heavy metals and microbial contents in roadside roasted corn and plantain from three locations in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State. Heavy metals in the 18 samples were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Standard Microbiological Techniques (SMT) was used to determine the microbial contents in the samples. The average concentration for each heavy metal in all the samples ranged between 0.45 - 1.40mg/g, 2.45 - 4.80mg/g, 3.10 - 14.05mg/g and 1.20 – 2.70mg/g for copper, zinc, iron, and manganese respectively. Furthermore, samples from heavy traffic areas had average concentration range of between 0 – 0.10mg/g and 0 – 0.06mg/g for lead and cadmium respectively. The heavy metal values were within the permissible levels set by the FAO and WHO. The average microbial load of the samples ranged between 250x10 -3 – 800x10 -3 Cfu. Samples from locations close to refuse dumpsite had the highest microbial content. Four microorganisms isolated from the samples are Escherichia coli, Bacillus species, Neurospora species and Aspergillus niger. These findings indicate that roadside roasted foods are contaminated by the polluted environments. Excessive consumption can increase the level of heavy metal contamination in the body which may affect the health of the consumers.