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The Uptake and Translocation of Lead, Chromium, Cadmium, and Zinc by Tomato Plants Grown in Nutrient and Contaminated Nutrient Solutions: Implications for Food Safety
Open accessAbstract
The uptake and translocation of Pb, Cr, Cd, and Zn in tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L. Rally) were investigated. Tomato seedlings were grown for five weeks in pots containing 40 L of Hoagland nutrient solution (pH 7) or contaminated nutrient solutions at two concentration levels for each element: Cr (100 and 1000 ng/mL), Zn (100 and 1000 ng/mL), Pb (100 and 500 ng/mL), and Cd (50 and 500 ng/mL). The solutions were replenished weekly to maintain a volume of 40 L (pH 7), and 10 mL samples were collected for elemental analysis. After five weeks, the plants were harvested and separated into roots, stems, leaves, and fruits. These samples underwent microwave-assisted digestion, and the element concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results revealed that the elements were mainly accumulated in the roots, with much lower concentrations determined in the fruits. Pb and Cr accumulated only minimally in fruits, with Pb levels of 0.0009 mg/kg wet weight at LI and 0.003 mg/kg wet weight at LII, and Cr levels of 0.028 mg/kg wet weight at LI and 0.031 mg/kg wet weight at LII. The Pb levels did not exceed the permissible limits set by EC regulations (0.05 mg/kg wet weight). Zn exhibited the highest accumulation in fruits, with 2.17 mg/kg wet weight at LI and 4.8 mg/kg wet weight at LII. By contrast, the Cd concentrations in fruits (0.25 mg/kg wet weight at LI and 1.1 mg/kg wet weight at LII) exceeded the EC regulatory limit of 0.02 mg/kg wet weight. The uptake of other essential elements into the tomato plant remained largely unaffected by the presence of contaminants. These results provide valuable insights into food safety. Laser ablation (LA)-ICP-MS imaging revealed an even distribution of Cd and Zn in the leaves of plants grown in contaminated nutrient solutions. By contrast, Cr and Pb were predominantly localized in the leaf veins and at the leaf apex, suggesting different transport mechanisms for these elements from the roots to the aerial parts of the plant.
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Overview
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TL;DR
Tomato plants exposed to Pb, Cr, Cd, and Zn in Hoagland solution accumulated these elements mainly in roots; Cd and Zn translocated to fruits more than Pb and Cr. Cd in fruits exceeded EU limits and produced hazard quotients above 1 for toddlers and adults under high or Level II exposure, while Pb remained below regulatory limits.
Key findings
- Roots were the main sink: at Level II, roots contained 107 mg/kg Pb, 332 mg/kg Cr, 384 mg/kg Cd, and 551 mg/kg Zn, versus control roots at 0.454, 0.508, 0.150, and 11.3 mg/kg, respectively.
- Fruit Pb and Cr were low: Pb was 0.0009 mg/kg wet weight at LI and 0.003 mg/kg wet weight at LII, below the EC limit of 0.05 mg/kg wet weight; Cr was reported as 0.028 mg/kg wet weight at LI and 0.031 mg/kg wet weight at LII in the abstract.
- Fruit Cd exceeded the EC limit of 0.02 mg/kg wet weight: 0.25 mg/kg wet weight at LI and 1.1 mg/kg wet weight at LII, i.e. 12 and 50 times over the limit; Zn was the highest fruit accumulator at 2.17 and 4.8 mg/kg wet weight at LI and LII. Uptake of other essential elements was largely unaffected by contaminant exposure.
- Pb hazard quotients remained below 1, but Cd hazard quotients at LII averaged 3.22 for toddlers and 1.32 for adults; at high consumption they exceeded 1 at both LI and LII (toddlers 2.30 and 14.0; adults 1.17 and 5.76). LA-ICP-MS showed Cd and Zn evenly distributed in leaves, while Cr and Pb were mainly in leaf veins and at the leaf apex.
Methods
- Five-week greenhouse hydroponic experiment with Solanum lycopersicum L. Rally seedlings in 40 L Hoagland solution at pH 7, either control or spiked at two levels: Cr 100/1000 ng/mL, Zn 100/1000 ng/mL, Pb 100/500 ng/mL, Cd 50/500 ng/mL; solutions were replenished weekly and pH adjusted to 7.
- Plants were harvested into roots, stems, leaves, and fruits; samples were microwave-digested and analyzed by ICP-MS for Pb, Cr, Cd, Zn, and essential elements; leaf element localization used LA-ICP-MS; translocation factors and hazard quotients were calculated, with dietary exposure assessed for toddlers and adults using EFSA consumption data.
- Accuracy was checked with SPS-SW1, NIST SRM 1573a Tomato Leaves, and a Pb spike recovery test (99%); all analyses were performed in duplicate.
Limitations
- The paper states that direct comparison with literature is difficult because of differing experimental conditions; no intermediate destructive sampling was performed; the experiment ended at the first mature fruit stage (BBCH 809) due to disease onset; plastic adsorption and Pb/Cr hydroxide precipitation reduced contaminant concentrations; future isotope-enriched work is needed to distinguish natural from added element uptake.
- Evident from the text: the findings come from one hydroponic greenhouse trial with a single tomato cultivar over five weeks, so field/soil and longer-term irrigation conditions are not represented.
- Evident from the text: the abstract and results text disagree on the Cr fruit concentration at LII (0.031 vs 0.31 mg/kg wet weight), which affects certainty in that endpoint.
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In the paper
“By contrast, the Cd concentrations in fruits (0.25 mg/kg wet weight at LI and 1.1 mg/kg wet weight at LII) exceeded the EC regulatory limit of 0.02 mg/kg wet weight.”
§ The Uptake and Translocation of Lead, Chromium, Cadmium, and Zinc by Tomato Plants Grown in Nutrient and Contaminated Nutrient Solutions: Implications for Food Safety > Abstract
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
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- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Zn exhibited the highest accumulation in fruits, with 2.17 mg/kg wet weight at LI and 4.8 mg/kg wet weight at LII.”
§ The Uptake and Translocation of Lead, Chromium, Cadmium, and Zinc by Tomato Plants Grown in Nutrient and Contaminated Nutrient Solutions: Implications for Food Safety > Abstract
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
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- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper states — it cites no source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“It is evident that with each subsequent sampling, the concentration of the added contaminants (LI or LII) significantly decreased, either due to the uptake of metals by the tomato plant or the precipitation of Pb and Cr hydroxides and the adsorption of Cd2+ and Zn2+ cations onto the walls of the container.”
§ The Uptake and Translocation of Lead, Chromium, Cadmium, and Zinc by Tomato Plants Grown in Nutrient and Contaminated Nutrient Solutions: Implications for Food Safety > 3. Results and Discussion > 3.2. Concentrations of Pb, Cr, Cd, and Zn in the Nutrient and Contaminated Nutrient Solutions During the Experiment
plainstates a cause- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Pb and Cr accumulated only minimally in fruits”
§ The Uptake and Translocation of Lead, Chromium, Cadmium, and Zinc by Tomato Plants Grown in Nutrient and Contaminated Nutrient Solutions: Implications for Food Safety > Abstract
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The results show that Pb, Cr, Cd, and Zn were predominantly accumulated in the roots of both control plants and those grown in contaminated nutrient solutions.”
§ The Uptake and Translocation of Lead, Chromium, Cadmium, and Zinc by Tomato Plants Grown in Nutrient and Contaminated Nutrient Solutions: Implications for Food Safety > 3. Results and Discussion > 3.3. Uptake of Pb, Cr, Cd, and Zn in Tomato Plant from Nutrient and Contaminated Nutrient Solutions
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ The Uptake and Translocation of Lead, Chromium, Cadmium, and Zinc by Tomato Plants Grown in Nutrient and Contaminated Nutrient Solutions: Implications for Food Safety > 3. Results and Discussion > 3.4. Translocation of Pb, Cr, Cd, and Zn from the Roots to the Aerial Parts of the Tomato Plant
“Cr concentrations in fruits increased from 0.01 mg/kg in the controls to 0.028 mg/kg and 0.31 mg/kg in the fruits of plants exposed to LI and LII, respectively.”
§ The Uptake and Translocation of Lead, Chromium, Cadmium, and Zinc by Tomato Plants Grown in Nutrient and Contaminated Nutrient Solutions: Implications for Food Safety > Abstract
“Cr levels of 0.028 mg/kg wet weight at LI and 0.031 mg/kg wet weight at LII.”
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
“However, Cd concentrations in these fruits exceeded the permissible levels by 12 times at LI and 50 times at LII.”
§ The Uptake and Translocation of Lead, Chromium, Cadmium, and Zinc by Tomato Plants Grown in Nutrient and Contaminated Nutrient Solutions: Implications for Food Safety > 3. Results and Discussion > 3.4. Translocation of Pb, Cr, Cd, and Zn from the Roots to the Aerial Parts of the Tomato Plant
Reported 50 · recomputed 55
Citations
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Cited by
YAZICIOGLU, H., Yazicioglu, I., Hocaoğlu-Özyiğit, A., & Özyiğit, İ. İ. (2026) · International Journal of Phytoremediation · doi:10.1080/15226514.2026.2650496 · Cited by 1
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Benlemlih, N., Aammouri, S. E., Nizar, Y., Lemfarrak, A., & Ibriz, M. (2026) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-6746-0.ch012
Community-Based Phytoremediation of Lead Contaminated Urban Garden Soil
Kirkland, H. E., Doolittle, D. G., & Deavers, K. (2026) · ACS Sustainable Resource Management · doi:10.1021/acssusresmgt.6c00236
Metadata
- Authors
- Milačič Ščančar, R., Kozlica, K., Marković, S., Leban, P., Vidmar, J., Heath, E., Kacjan Maršić, N., Železnikar, Š., & Ščančar, J.
- Affiliations
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Department of Environmental Sciences, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Jožef Stefan Institute (SI)
- Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Agronomy, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- University of Ljubljana (SI)
- Corresponding author
- Ščančar, Janez
- ORCID
- Venue
- Toxics
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2025-08-31
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 738
- ISSN
- 2305-6304 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC12474179
- OpenAlex
- W4413928644
- Semantic Scholar
- 17bb8a2f83ff684b205c302e6a44e93dec7c7fed
- Cited by
- 8
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 1
- FWCI
- 1.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Toxics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Heavy metals in environment
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Analytical Chemistry › Heavy Metals in Plants
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
- Keywords
- lead uptake, chromium uptake, cadmium uptake, zinc uptake, tomato, food safety, root-to-shoot translocation, Hoagland solution
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- Milačič Ščančar, R., Kozlica, K., Marković, S., Leban, P., Vidmar, J., Heath, E., Kacjan Maršić, N., Železnikar, Š., & Ščančar, J. (2025). The Uptake and Translocation of Lead, Chromium, Cadmium, and Zinc by Tomato Plants Grown in Nutrient and Contaminated Nutrient Solutions: Implications for Food Safety. Toxics. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13090738
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