Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric Determination of Lead in White Rice

Recent studies on the heavy metal content of rice from various parts of the world have alarmed rice-eating nations, including the Philippines. In 2013, Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) reported that rice in the Philippines needs to be evaluated to determine whether these contain heavy metals such as lead. This research aimed to assess the presence of lead in the three highest selling rice varieties harvested in Oriental Mindoro and sold in Batangas City public markets. It was done to asses if the lead concentration in the raw and cooked rice samples conform to the maximum acceptable level in food established by Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) Program Codex Alimentarius Commission. Survey analysis showed that the three highest selling rice varieties during the period when this study was conducted were Sinandomeng, Dinorado and C-4 Dinorado respectively. Lead analysis of rice samples was carried out using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. The lead content in both the raw and cooked rice samples were not detected, meaning that the lead concentration were either not present or may be present but is less than the detection limit of the instrument used. The lead concentration in the rice samples from Oriental Mindoro conformed to the standards for food safety for lead content in rice, which is 0.2 mg/kg or 0.2 ppm, set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Keywords –flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, heavy metals, lead, Oriental Mindoro, rice