Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination (Nickel and Arsenic) using GF-AAS in Local Brand Chocolates and Candies from Tiruchirappalli, India

Nineteen different varieties of local brand chocolates, soft candies and hard candies were procured from Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil Nadu. These samples were analyzed for two heavy metals nickel and arsenic in Graphite Furnace – Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (GF-AAS). Out of 19 local brands of chocolates and candies, five were chocolate type, six were soft candy type and eight were hard candy type. From the analysis, it was found that nickel levels in the samples ranged from 0.77 to 5.47 μg/g with an average of 2.75μg/g and arsenic levels ranged from 0.01 to 4.50 μg/g with an average of 0.81 μg/g. Concentration of nickel was high in chocolates and hard candies. Local brand soft candies revealed the highest concentration of arsenic. Results showed that there is significant heavy metal contamination in the collected confectionary samples and on frequent consumption it will cause serious health effects in children and adults as well.