Some heavy metals accumulate more in the flesh of Thryonomis swinderianus (Lem), grasscutter, than in beef of Bos species, cow

Thryonomis swinderianus (Lem), or grasscutter, is a source of meat in Ghana. Heavy-metal accumulation was investigated in grasscutter and beef samples purchased at markets in Konongo and Obusai. Mean levels of manganese, copper, iron, zinc, cobalt, chromium, nickel, lead, gold, and silver in beef were 4.06, 11.30, 34.69, 104.47, 0, 4.82, 20.05, 1.35, 1.64, and 1.09 ppm, respectively. Corresponding levels in grasscutter were 6.88, 14.09, 51.87, 64.45, 0.97, 9.62, 19.83, 2.59, 10.21, and 3.23 ppm, respectively. The higher metal levels in grasscutter were attributed to feeding habits: in addition to grass, grasscutters eat roots and tubers dug from the soil with the additional ingestion of contaminated soil.