Assessment of heavy metal contents in anchovies using atomic absorption spectroscopy

This study was designed to assess the concentration of iron (Fe) and cadmium (Cd) in anchovies by using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) across four different shops (TF Mart, Segi Fresh, 100 Mart and Pasar Mini Tapah) around Tapah, Perak. This research also aims to assess the potential health risks of these metals by calculating the Hazard Index (HI) values. Sample preparation involved drying the anchovies in an oven at 60°C and then grinding them into a fine powder, which was sieved for uniformity. The digestion process was carried out by mixing the samples with 6 mL of 65% nitric acid (HNO3) and 4 mL of 37% hydrochloric acid (HCl) to create a homogenized solution. Following digestion, the samples were diluted to a final volume of 100mL using a volumetric flask and filtered twice by using gravity filtration and microfiltration to remove any undigested particles for smooth analysis with AAS. The results of Fe contents in anchovies are 4.22 ppm (TF Mart), 5.16 ppm (Segi Fresh), 5.88 ppm (Pasar Mini Tapah) and 6.72 ppm (100 Mart) respectively. Meanwhile, for Cd the results are 0.06 ppm (TF Mart), 0.15 ppm (Segi Fresh), 0.15 ppm (Pasar Mini Tapah) and 0.41 ppm (100 Mart), respectively. The analysis shows that all HI values are below 1, indicating no significant health risks.