Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is one of the herbs which is used for medicinal and food purposes. In the present study the levels of selected metals in coriander leaves were determined in the samples collected from four different farmlands (Sebeta, Mekanisa, Holeta and Gefersa) in Ethiopia where its cultivation is common. The levels of metals were determined after digestion of samples with the mixture of 4 mL of HNO3 and 4 mL of HClO4 at 300 oC for 3:00 hours by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The optimized wet digestion method for coriander leaves analysis was validated through the recovery experiment and a good percentage recovery was obtained (93.2-101%). The levels of metals were found in the range Ca, 2319–3503 mg/kg; Zn, 33.4–54.8 mg/kg and Cr, 5.55-9.86 mg/kg while the trace metals Cu, Ni, Cd and Pb were too low to be detected. The results indicated that Ethiopian coriander is a good source of essential metals and free from the toxic metals Pb and Cd. A statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 95% confidence level indicated that there is significant difference (p < 0.05) in the levels of all detected metals between the four sample means. The Pearson correlation was used to predict the dependence of metal levels on one another. The levels of the metals determined in this study compared well with those reported for coriander leaves from some other parts of the world.
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