ICP-OES determination of essential and non-essential elements in Moringa oleifera, Salvia hispanica and Linum usitatissimum

Abstract

Plants are of great importance as sources of dietary macro and trace elements that are essential in human health and nutrition. These elements play major roles in different physiological functions in the body. In this study, the essential macro elements “K, Na, and Mg”, and essential trace elements “Fe, Zn, Mn, Cr, and Co” were determined in Salvia hispanica seeds, Linum usitatissimum seeds and in Moringa oleifera seeds and leaf powder. The amounts of non-essential elements Ba, Be, Al, Ag, Cd, In, Cs, V, Sr, Bi and Pb were also determined. Air-dried seeds and leave samples were ground to a fine powder, digested with acids in a microwave system and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). M. oleifera seeds had the highest amounts of K and Mg with values of 15,930.5 and 2229.3 mg kg−1, respectively. S. hispanica had the highest amounts of Na of 615.0 mg kg−1. Of the essential trace elements detected, Fe and Mn were highest in M. oleifera seeds with 284.6 and 93.6 mg kg−1, respectively; whereas Zn was highest in M. oleifera leaf powder with values of 51.0 mg kg−1. Non-essential elements Al, Ba, Sr were detected at variable amounts with a high of 422.9 mg kg−1 for Al in M. oleifera seeds. From the results, these plants are a good source of important minerals and regular consumption can contribute to the recommended dietary needs. Keywords: Essential elements, Seeds, Leaf powder, S. hispanica, L. usitatissimum, M. oleifera