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Tomato varieties (Solanum lycopersicum L) produced in areas prominent for mining activities contribute more deposits of metal contaminants. In turn, affects the quality and value of the products. Highlighting the level of metal contaminant in consumer’s most preferred tomato variety is also necessary for health and well-being. This study specifically aimed to investigate, i) the variability between six metal contaminants in UTC, Yowlings, and Derica tomatoes; ii) we also explored the relationship between the metal contaminants and tomato quality, and lastly, we ascertained which socioeconomic factor specifically determined preference for a particular variety of the tomatoes. The metal contaminants examined and found present using ICP-OES were nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg). We found a good agreement between most of the analyte and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Certified Reference Material 1573a (CRM 1573a) values. Although this study’s recovery for the analyte was between 83.22% and 111.00%, we also found contrary to our prediction that Cr, Ni, and Cd concentrations were higher in Derica, UTC, and the Yowlings varieties during the rainy season. A two-way ANOVA between tomatoes and planting seasons was not statistically significant (P > 0.05) in contrast to the mixed model (GLMMs) analysis that indicated a significant (P |
