QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOME OLIGO-ELEMENTS AND HEAVY METALS IN CASE OF Ceratonia siliqua L. HERMAPHRODITE SPECIES FROM ALGERIA

Although the fruit of the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is nutritious and widely available in Algeria, there is no studies concerned about heavy metals and oligo-elements in carob fruit (seeds and pods). Carob trees have been used mainly as a source of animal fodder, with minimal use of the pods as a nutritious food source. In order to valorize the natural substances of this hermaphrodite species, the coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was employed for the determination of essential and nonessential elements in both seeds and pods.

The results of the quantification of heavy metals using the ICP-MS method showed that the fruits of C. siliqua L. are very rich in potassium with 93,94 mg/Kg and 88,61 mg/Kg in seeds and pods respectively succeeded by calcium with about 39,07 mg/kg, 44,71 mg/kg in seeds and pods respectively. The concentrations of oligo-elements and heavy metals in both seeds and pods decreased in the following order: K> Ca > P >Mg>Na> Si > Fe > Al >Mn> Zn > Cd >Pb >Cr >As>Cu.

Carob fruits are rich in oligo-elements and the concentrations of heavy metals is lower than the normal range which confer a great interest for the industry by its use in agroalimentary and as a source of feedstuff.