Copper, zinc, calcium and magnesium content of alcoholic beverages and by-products from Spain: Nutritional supply

Abstract

Levels of copper, zinc, calcium and magnesium were measured in alcoholic beverages (whiskies, gins, rums, liquors, brandies, wines and beers) and by-products (non-alcoholic liquors and vinegars) using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Mineral concentrations were found to be significantly different between the nine alcoholic and non-alcoholic by-products studied (p < 0.001). In distilled alcoholic beverages, concentrations measured in rums and brandies were statistically lower than those determined in gins and alcoholic liquors (p = 0.001). For Cu, measured concentrations were statistically different for each of the five groups of distilled alcoholic beverages studied (p < 0.001). In fermented beverages, Zn, Ca and Mg levels were significantly higher than those concentrations determined in distilled drinks (p < 0.005). Contrarily, Cu concentrations were statistically lower (p < 0.001). Wines designated as sherry had significantly higher Ca and Mg levels (p < 0.005). White wines had significantly higher Ca and Zn levels (p < 0.05) compared with red wines and, contrarily, Cu concentrations were significantly lower (p < 0.005). In wine samples and corresponding by-products (brandy and vinegar), statistical differences were established for all minerals analysed (p < 0.01). Remarkably, for Cu, the concentrations determined in brandies were statistically higher. On the basis of element levels and the official data on consumption of alcoholic beverages and by-products in Spain, their contribution to the daily dietary intake (DDI) was calculated to be 124.6 microg Cu day(-1) and 193.3 microg Zn day(-1), 40.3 mg Ca day(-1) and 19.9 mg Mg day(-1). From all studied elements, Cu was the one for which alcoholic beverages constitute a significant source (more than 10% of recommended daily intake). These findings are of potential use to food composition tables.

Influence of milk ultrafiltration on Ca, Mg, Zn and P levels in fermented goats’ milk

“…NavarroAlarcón et al (2011) observed that Mg levels in goat and cow milk fermented products were linearly correlated with Ca and Zn concentrations. Similarly, a significant and linear correlation between Mg and Ca levels was previously reported by others in different food groups (Jodral-Segado et al, 2003;Navarro-Alarcón et al, 2007) and hospital duplicate meals (Velasco-Reynold et al, 2010). In the same way, Velasco-Reynold et al (2008) had previously encountered a positive correlation among Zn and P levels in hospital duplicate meals.…”

Advances in assessing the elemental composition of distilled spirits using atomic spectrometry

“…The elemental compositions of distilled spirits vary depending on the raw materials used for their production, and the materials from which the equipment and the facilities used for production are made [14,26,27,39]. As can be seen from Tables 1 and 2, K, Na and Ca are present in the highest concentrations [2,5,[9][10][11][12]24,37,39].…”

“…Unfortunately, distillation in Cu apparatus is hard to avoid because it has catalytic effects on the color, the taste and the flavor of final distilled spirit products and improves their quality and sensorial properties [8,9,23,25,26,29,40]. The presence of Cu in most parts of distilleries leads to a low level of unpleasant, volatile, S-containing compounds, but better taste and aroma of the distilled alcoholic beverages [15,23,25].…”

“…Trace elements, such as Cu and Pb, can be derived from the materials of the utensils used for traditional distillation (so called artisanal), including Cu pot stills (alembics) and alquitaras, distillation coils, and maturation of distilled spirits (i.e., oak wood barrels and casks) [2,3,5,8,9,[14][15][16]19,[23][24][25][26][27][29][30][31][32][33]35,36,[40][41][42]. Surface corrosion of these materials is the most common cause of Cu and Pb , and other concomitant elements being present in finished products.…”

“…Despite large consumption of distilled spirit products, it seems that inorganic profiles of some of them remain poorly defined and need more extensive investigations [3,19,25,26]. This lack of definition may hinder establishing appropriate standards of market quality and safety of these products and badly affect their characteristics and marketing [25,27,28].…”