Determination of Selected Heavy Metal Concentrations in Various Types of Animal Feed in Tripoli, Libya
Keywords:
Heavy metals, Animal feed, Atomic absorption spectrometry, Environmental pollution, Food safetyAbstract
This study aimed to determine the concentrations of lead, cadmium, chromium, and copper in animal feeds available in local markets in western Libya and to evaluate their compliance with nationally and internationally permissible limits. Twenty random samples of cattle, sheep, and camel feeds were collected and digested using nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide. The samples were subsequently analyzed using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Statistical analyses were performed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. The results showed that the concentrations of lead, cadmium, and chromium were below the instrument’s respective detection limits in all samples. Copper was detected at varying concentrations in eight samples, ranging from 0.10 to 4.66 µg/L, while the remaining samples contained levels below the detection limit. Sample 14 exhibited the highest copper concentration and was considered an outlier compared with the other measurements. Comparison with the limits established by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization indicated that the examined feeds were safe. The study recommends regular monitoring, the establishment of precise Libyan standards, and the expansion of future analyses to include additional elements, feed types, and geographical areas to protect animal and human health and ensure food-chain safety.
References
Ahmed, A. S., Sultana, S., Habib, A., Ullah, H., Musa, N., Hossain, M. B., Rahman, M. M., & Sarker, M. S. I. (2019). Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in some commercially important fishes from a tropical river estuary suggests higher potential health risk in children than adults. PLOS ONE, 14(10), e0219336.
Aladesanmi, O. T., Oroboade, J. G., Osisiogu, C. P., & Osewole, A. O. (2019). Bioaccumulation factor of selected heavy metals in Zea mays. Journal of Health and Pollution, 9(24).
Bampidis, V. A., Nistor, E., & Nitas, D. (2013). Arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury as undesirable substances in animal feeds. Scientific Papers: Animal Science and Biotechnologies, 46(1), 17–22.
Dai, S. Y., Jones, B., Lee, K.-M., Li, W., Post, L., & Herrman, T. J. (2016). Heavy metal contamination of animal feed in Texas. Journal of Regulatory Science, 1, 21–32.
Elliott, S., Frio, A., & Jarman, T. (2017). Heavy metal contamination of animal feedstuffs: A new survey. Journal of Applied Animal Nutrition, 5.
Haque, M. M., Niloy, N. M., Khirul, M. A., Alam, M. F., & Tareq, S. M. (2021). Appraisal of probabilistic human health risks of heavy metals in vegetables from industrial, non-industrial and arsenic-contaminated areas of Bangladesh. Heliyon, 7(2), e06309.
İnci, H. Ş., Çaçan, E., Bilici, B., & Aksit Özer, Ş. (2024). Research on heavy metal content of fattening and dairy feeds. Turkish Journal of Range and Forage Science, 5(2), 109–118.
Islam, M. S., Hossain, M. B., Matin, A., & Sarker, M. S. I. (2018). Assessment of heavy metal pollution, distribution and source apportionment in the sediment from Feni River estuary, Bangladesh. Chemosphere, 202, 25–32.
Kan, C. A., & Meijer, G. A. L. (2007). The risk of contamination of food with toxic substances present in animal feed. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 133(1–2), 84–108.
Li, Y., McCrory, D. F., Powell, J. M., Saam, H., & Jackson-Smith, D. (2005). A survey of selected heavy metal concentrations in Wisconsin dairy feeds. Journal of Dairy Science, 88(8), 2911–2922.
Meshabaz, R. A., & Umer, M. I. (2023). The transportation of heavy metals through food chain caused by industrial effluents in Kwashe Industrial Area, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
Nicholson, F. A., Chambers, B. J., Williams, J. R., & Unwin, R. J. (1999). Heavy metal contents of livestock feeds and animal manures in England and Wales. Bioresource Technology, 70(1), 23–31.
Smith, K. M., Abrahams, P. W., Dagleish, M. P., & Steigmajer, J. (2009). The intake of lead and associated metals by sheep grazing mining-contaminated floodplain pastures in mid-Wales, UK: I. Soil ingestion, soil-metal partitioning and potential availability to pasture herbage and livestock. Science of the Total Environment, 407(12), 3731–3739.
Sullivan, T. W., Douglas, J. H., & Gonzales, N. J. (1994). Level of various elements of concern in feed phosphates of domestic and foreign origin. Poultry Science, 73, 520–528.
United Nations Environment Programme. (2002). Global mercury assessment. UNEP.
Yazdanfar, N., Sadighara, P., Mirzaei, G., Limam, I., & Mousavi Khaneghah, A. (2024). Assessment of potentially toxic elements concentrations in maize as an animal feed in Tehran, Iran. Applied Food Research, 4(1), 100418.
Zhou, X., Zheng, N., Su, C., Wang, J., & Soyeurt, H. (2017). Analysis of 22 elements in milk, feed, and water of dairy cow, goat, and buffalo from different regions of China. Biological Trace Element Research, 176(1), 120–129.
Saeid Ahmed Meelad Al Sile, & Mohamed Ramadhan Khaleefah Ali. (2025). Effects of Moringa oleifera leaf powder inclusion on growth traits and hematological indices in broiler chickens. Journal of Libyan Academy Bani Walid, 1(3), 92–106. https://doi.org/10.61952/jlabw.v1i3.177
دلا، توفيق، وآخرون. (2013). تراكم بعض المعادن الثقيلة في النباتات العلفية ومدى إفرازها في حليب الأبقار في منطقة بانياس بالساحل السوري.
محمد، اذهيبة، وآخرون. (2022). دراسة تراكيز عنصري الرصاص والكادميوم في النبات والتربة ببعض مزارع وادي الشاطئ.
