Statistical differentiation of bananas according to their mineral composition.
The concentrations of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mn were determined in banana cultivars Gran enana and Pequeña enana cultivated in Tenerife and in cv. Gran enana bananas from Ecuador. The mineral concentrations in the bananas from Tenerife and from Ecuador were clearly different. The cultivar did not influence the mineral concentrations except in the case of Fe. Variations according to cultivation method (greenhouse and outdoors) and farming style (conventional and organic) in the mineral concentrations in the bananas from Tenerife were observed. The mineral concentrations in the internal part of the banana were higher than those in the middle and external parts. Representation of double log correlations K-Mg and Zn-Mn tended to separate the banana samples according to origin. Applying factor and cluster analysis, the bananas from Ecuador were well separated from the bananas produced in Tenerife, and therefore, these are useful tools for differentiating the origin of bananas.
Mineral composition of the banana (Musa acuminata) from the island of Tenerife.
The content of major (Na, K, Ca, Mg and P) and minor elements (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn and B) in bananas consumed on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, has been determined. Significant differences were observed in the mineral contents of the banana samples, with higher K, Mg, P, Fe, Cu, Zn and B levels in the banana grown in north Tenerife and a higher Ca content in the banana originating in the south of the island. Differences between these mineral contents and the fruit reported in the literature have been established and a comparison has been carried out with diverse food composition tables. The banana is shown to contribute to the recommended daily requirements of K, Mg, Cu and B.
An automated spectrophotometric method for magnesium analysis
Abstract An automated spectrophotometric method for magnesium has been devised which is directly applicable to serum, plasma, urine, and tissue ash samples. Magnesium is determined colorimetrically with EBT in the presence of strontium EGTA, which eliminates significant calcium error and the necessity for separation of calcium from magnesium prior to analysis. Reproducibility studies, recovery data, and comparisons with a manual flame photometric method are presented.