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Food security is a serious issue in developing countries like Pakistan because of ever-increasing population. To feed the hunger population, safe and nutritious vegetables are growing concern as they are being polluted by heavy metals. The present study was conducted to investigate the concentration of heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) in highly consumed vegetable collected from peri-urban markets of Rawalpindi and Multan region. Health risk associated with the consumption of these vegetables in term of estimated daily intake of metals (EDIM) and health risk index (HRI) was also evaluated among local consumers. Results showed that mean values of cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in all vegetable samples from both region were exceeding the respective MAL set by FAO/WHO. Estimated daily intake of heavy metals was found below than the permissible limit. EDIM showed following decreasing trend Fe > Zn > Mn > Ni > Pb > Cr and Cd, respectively. The health risk index (HRI) for all heavy metals were less than the threshold level (1), indicating no significant threat to the local population through the consumption of these vegetables.

The present study was aimed to assess the antioxidant activity of ethanolic sugarcane leaf extractfor the stabilisation of sunflower, (SFO), soybean and (SBO) canola oils (CO) at ambient temperature.SFO, SBO and CO were added with 600 ppm sugarcane leaf extract, filled in transparent PET bottles,stored at ambient temperature for 180 days, sampled at 0, 60, 120 and 180 days for the assessment ofoxidative stability. Total phenolic content in sugarcane leaf extract (SLE) was 724.3 (mg GAE/100g).2,2,diphenyl- 2 picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity of SLE was 76% as compared to 88% inbutylated hydroxyl toluene. C18:1 and C18:2 in fresh, 6 months stored controls and SLE supplementedSFO were 46.12%, 42.59%, 44.91% and 47.15%, 40.29, 43.13%, respectively. C18:2 and C18:3 in freshand 180 days stored control and SLE supplemented SBO were 51.19%, 45.61%, 48.97% and 6.19%, 3.37%and 5.67%, respectively. Similar trend was also recorded in canola oil. Induction period of supplementedvegetable oil was higher than the un-supplemented samples (P