Abstract

Brown sugar is cruder in form compared to sugar, preferred in northern regions of Nigeria due to its low price and seemingly health advantages. However, the lack of uniformity in artisanal production techniques leads to conflicts with international food safety regulations. This study seeks to fill that gap by assessing brown sugar from five major markets in Zaria Metropolis [Sabon Gari, Samaru, Tundun Wada, PZ, Kwangila] and comparing them against food safety benchmarks set by Codex Alimentarius. This study focused on assessing some selected key physicochemical parameters such as the moisture content, pH, sucrose, ash content, and heavy metals (cadmium & lead). During the study, it was clear that all the samples exceeded the regulated moisture content of less than 10%. All Tundun Wada samples exhibited the leading value of 15%. Only PZ was ≤ 1.5% or 1.2 ± 0.2% ash content, while the rest were higher than the limit. All the samples had significantly higher sucrose concentrations, though all of them exceeded the bare minimum of 70%. (82.0–90. 5%). pH values (6.0-6.5) also indicated mild acidity. Heavy metal analysis indicated that the cadmium concentrations (0.03– 0.04⁠5 mg/10g) were below the Codex threshold (≤0.1 mg/10g) but lead levels (0.40–0.55 mg/10g) were close to or above the limit in Sabon Gari (0.50 ± 0.05 mg/10g) and Tundun Wada (0.55 ± 0.06 mg/10g). This suggests a lack of compliance with the specified moisture⁠ and ash content limits, possible lead contamination, and the need for better control of local brown sugar quality. Consistent failures with moisture and ash content indicate inadequate drying coupled with purification processes, hinting at possible soil residue adulteration during conventional processing. Moreover, the presence of heightened lead concentrations in samples obtained from both markets is alarming and indicates some form of environmental contamination, either from polluted soils or handling equipment. While the levels of sucrose contribute positively nutritionally, the constant moisture, ash content, and lead levels pose health risks due to heavy metal bioaccumulation, coupled with supporting microbial life. There is an urgent need for intervention as the study highlights that the artisanal production systems in Northern Nigeria require immediate modernization to comply with food safety standards.

Copyright of the paper named above is hereby assigned and transferred to the Nigerian Journal of Applied Science and Innovative Technology published by College of Engineering, Bells University of Technology, Nigeria.