Assessment of heavy metals in calcium carbide treated mangoes by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)

Calcium carbide (CaC₂) is widely used as the low price artificial ripening agent of fruits. It may contain traces of heavy metals which can make fruits harmful for human consumption. This study aimed to assess heavy metals present in commercial-grade CaC₂ and subsequently their quantification in mango peels for the identification of possible marker elements as an indicator of CaC₂ ripening. Samples were prepared by using microwave-assisted digestion followed by multi-elemental quantitative analysis using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In commercial grade CaC₂ samples, the concentrations of analysed metals were found to be in the range of 0.6–540.92 µg/g with given order Fe>Zn>Mn>Cr>Pb>Cu>Ag>As>Ni>Co>Cd. The CaC₂-treated mango peels showed elevated levels of Fe, Co, As, and Pb in comparison to untreated mango peels (p < 0.05).