Determination of the Levels of Nitrite in Homemade Brews, Spirits and Raw Materials used using Uv – Visible Spectroscopy in Nairobi County

Abstract

Homemade brews and the raw materials used can be a major source of nitrate and nitrite in human diet. Because of the potential health hazards result in . high intake of nitrate and nitrite, determination of these ions content in Homemade brews and the raw materials used. Sources of nitrites include vegetables, fruit, and processed meats The aim of this research was to determine the concentration of nitrite in Homemade brews and the raw materials sampled from eleven stations in Nairobi County -Kenya. So, a total of one hundred and thirty two (132) home-made alcoholic beverages, forty eight (48) water and eighteen (18) raw materials samples were analyzed for nitrite. These were analyzed using, a SHADZU (Model No. UV-2550) UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The measurement was based on ISO Method (N0.6635). The detection limit and analitation limit of nitrite determination were found to be 0.93 µg/ml and 2.82 µg/ml respectively. The recommended maximum contamination levels set by Kenya Bureau of Standards/World Health Organization for nitrate in alcohols is nitrite 0.003 mg/l Data has been analyzed with p value and ANOVA. According to the results, the average of nitrite content in all of the samples was more than standard limits. Homemade brews and the raw materials used had significantly higher nitrite differences (p<0.05).