Concentration Levels of Selected Metals in the Leaves of Different Species of Thyme (T. schimperi and T. vulgaris) Grown in Ethiopia

The contents of some selected metals Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Ni, and Cd in different thyme leaf samples widely consumed in Ethiopia were determined by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS) after acid digestion with 1:1 HNO3/HClO4 for 3 h at a temperature of 240A degrees C by a Kjeldahl apparatus hot plate digester. The level of the nutrients in the four samples ranged from 1,239-2,517 mu g/g, Ca; 1,524-1,786 mu g/g, Mg; 728-2,517 mu g/g, Fe; 37.7-114 mu g/g, Mn; 2.59-4.3 mu g/g, Co; 7.69-9.3 mu g/g, Cu; 8.7-52 mu g/g, Zn; and 9.83-14.2 mu g/g, Ni; respectively. While the level of toxic metal Cd in the four samples ranged from 0.87-1.3 mu g/g. The concentration of Ca was higher than the other metals in the three samples and Cd was the least of all the metals in the analyzed samples. The overall reproducibility of the method obtained from spiking experiment was within the range +/- 10%. This result will complement available data on food composition in Ethiopia.