DETERMINATION OF Co, Fe, Ni AND Zn CONTENT IN ROOT AND LEAF OF TARAXACUM OFFICINALE.

Taraxacum officinale, or Dandelion, is a plant that can be found in various ecosystems. Traditionally, Taraxacum officinale is picked up by people in Bosnia and Herzegovina and eaten as salad or used for preparing homemade dandelion honey; moreover, it is used as a medicinal plant, and it has been frequently used in environmental studies. The aim of this study was to assess the safety of using Taraxacum officinale in traditional medicine and as food by determining the Fe, Co, Ni, and Zn content in the leaves and roots of Taraxacum officinale. Sampling was performed at seven urban locations in the municipality of Visoko in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Root and leaf samples were washed with distilled water and air-dried. The method of wet acid digestion was used. Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS) was used to perform the metal analysis. Metal content in leaf samples was in the following range: Co (0.41 µg/g - 2.05 µg/g), Fe (75.4 µg/g - 278 µg/g), Ni (4.39 µg/ g - 6.19 µg/g), and Zn (13.88 µg/g - 36 µg/g). Metal content in root samples was in the following range: Co (<LOD - 0.3 µg/g), Fe (208 µg/g - 747 µg/g), Ni (from 1.29 µg/g - 4.69 µg/g), and Zn (16.55 µg/g - 42.99 µg/g). Metal content in leaf and root was in the same range as other similar studies. As usual, caution should be used when consuming or using as traditional medicine spontaneously growing Taraxacum officinale, especially from the urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]