Determination of essential elements (Cu, Fe and Zn) in juices of commercially available in Pakistan

In present work, the concentration of essential elements, copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) were measured in ten different juices, to evaluate whether the intakes of under study nutrients accomplished within recommended permissible levels. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was used to estimate and evaluate the levels of essential elements such as Cu, Fe and Zn in ten juice samples. The elements were analyzed prior to microwave assisted acid digestion (MAD). For comparison purpose, wet acid digestion (CAD) method was used for determination of essential elements. The accuracy of proposed method was evaluated by performing addition-recovery experiments to prove the reliability of the method. All obtained analytical results by MAD and CAD showed a good agreement at a 95% confidence level. The detection limits of Cu, Fe and Zn were 22.7 microg/L, 3.85 microg/L and 3.05 microg/L. The dietary intakes of all three studied elements have also been estimated.