Bioavailability of Essential Minerals from Staples Commonly Consumed in the Tropics

Lowell Dilworth, Kesi Brown and Helen Asemota

Journal of Food Research, 2013, vol. 2, issue 2

Abstract: This study assessed essential minerals in sweet cassava (Manihot esculenta), Lucea yam (Dioscorea rotundata), plantain (Musa sp.) and pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) by atomic absorption spectrophotometry while mineral bioavailabilities were assessed by in vitro enzymatic digestion. Undigested cassava samples displayed highest calcium concentrations (3150 ± 320 mg/Kg) while the highest iron concentrations were recorded in pumpkin samples (81.5 ± 4.7 mg/Kg). Magnesium concentrations were highest in ripe plantain samples (963 ± 15.18 mg/Kg) while the highest zinc concentrations were recorded in cassava (15.23 ± 4.07 mg/Kg). Cooked samples displayed higher percentages of available minerals than uncooked ones with unripe plantain displaying highest percentage soluble calcium (12.945), iron (37.19%) and magnesium (23.37%) while the highest percentage soluble zinc was observed in sweet cassava (9.87%). The samples assessed are important contributors of essential dietary minerals especially in the cooked states. These staples have untapped potential for increased economic relevance especially with increasing costs of food production. Studies aimed at increasing mineral bioavailability in some samples are needed.

Keywords: Food; Consumption/Nutrition/Food; Safety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/405073/files/21946-86622-1-PB.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aesjfr:405073

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Food Research from Canadian Center of Science and Education
Bibliographic data for series maintained by AgEcon Search ().