Comparative Analysis of Vitamins and Minerals in Important Fruits and Vegetables as Affected by Petroleum Hydrocarbons

Fruits form a major part of the human diet as they have been known to contain health-promoting nutrients that could improve general well-being. However, their exposure to contaminants, especially petroleum hydrocarbons, could limit these nutritional contents. This study aimed to compare the vitamins and minerals analysis of fruits and vegetables exposed and sold in fuel stations. Freshly harvested fruits (Apple and Cucumber) and vegetables (garden egg) were divided into two portions; one portion was displayed and exposed to petroleum hydrocarbon for seven days, while the remaining portion was preserved at room temperature for the said duration. At the end of exposure, the samples were processed for vitamin and mineral analysis. Analysis of the vitamin content was done using a standard method, while the analysis of the mineral content was done using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric method. Results showed that a significant decrease in the vitamin A, C and E content of the exposed fruits compared to the unexposed fruit. The result further showed no significant difference in the mineral content of the exposed and unexposed fruits and vegetables. There was a 55.24% and 44.95% decrease in vitamins A and C concentrations, respectively. This showed the relatively detrimental effect of exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons on some antioxidant vitamin contents in cucumber. From the results, there was a significant increase (p<0.05) in Fe, Zn and Cu concentration after exposure, while Mn and Se showed no significant change. There was a 20%, 9.09%and 100% increase in Fe, Zn and Cu concentrations, respectively. Hence, continuous exposure to foods, especially fruits and vegetables, could impact their nutritional content and consequently affect the well-being of the consumers.