Abstract:The cherries from different regions of Jilin Province contained five heavy metals: lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn). In this experiment, the contents of five metals were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. First, by using a series of standard solutions and setting up instrument parameters, linear equations and correlation coefficients were obtained, and the precision, recovery and the heavy metal content of test samples were determined. The experimental results show that the content of heavy metals varied among the different regions, with that for the Changbai mountain area lower than those for Changchun, Jilin, Siping, Baicheng and Tongliao areas. Moreover, the heavy metal content in Nanking cherries from the different planting environments also differed, with heavy metal content for the urban cherries slightly higher than that for the wild cherries. The limits of lead, cadmium, zinc, copper and chromium were 0.1, 0.05, 5, 10 and 0.5 mg/kg, respectively. The heavy metal content of the tested cherries was lower than the national standard. The results of this experiment showed that the cherries are safe to eat as a homolog of medicine and food.
