Nuts as a Dietary Enrichment with Selected Minerals—Content Assessment Supported by Chemometric Analysis

Abstract

Nuts used as a snack and meal accompaniment supply plant protein and fatty acids that are beneficial for human health; however, they can also provide minerals. The aim of this study was to determine the content of selected elements that are often deficient in the diet (calcium, potassium, magnesium, selenium, and zinc) in nuts and determine whether they can be used to supplement deficiencies in the diet. In this study, we analyzed 10 types of nuts (n = 120 samples) that are consumed and available for sale in Poland. The content of calcium, magnesium, selenium, and zinc was determined by the atomic absorption spectrometry method, and flame atomic emission spectrometry was used for determination of potassium contents. The highest median calcium content was found in almonds (2825.8 mg/kg), the highest potassium content in pistachio nuts (15,730.5 mg/kg), the highest magnesium and selenium contents in Brazil nuts (10,509.2 mg/kg and 4348.7 μg/kg, respectively), and the highest zinc content in pine nuts (72.4 mg/kg). All the tested nuts are a source of magnesium, eight types of tested nuts are a source of potassium, six nut types are a source of zinc, and four nut types are a source of selenium; however, among the tested nuts, only almonds can be considered a source of calcium. Moreover, we found that selected chemometric methods can be useful in the classification of nuts. The studied nuts are valuable products that can be used to supplement the diet with selected minerals and can therefore be labelled as functional products crucial for disease prevention.

The Role of Parental Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Family Time Together in Children’s Weight Status: The BeE-School Project

“…A selected question from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey, as outlined by Currie et al [16], was employed to evaluate family time. The list of shared activities among families comprises the following eight items: (1) watching TV or a video together, (2) playing indoor games together, (3) eating a meal together, (4) going for a walk together, (5) going places together, (6) visiting friends or relatives together, (7) playing sports together, and (8) sitting and talking about things together.…”

“…The inclusion of mixed nuts in the Mediterranean diet also provides potential health benefits [6]. The consumption of almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, and other nuts has been emphasized as a great source of magnesium and potassium [7]. Some nuts also serve as sources of zinc and selenium [7].…”

“…The consumption of almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, and other nuts has been emphasized as a great source of magnesium and potassium [7]. Some nuts also serve as sources of zinc and selenium [7]. Specifically, almonds appear to be a source of calcium [7].…”

“…Some nuts also serve as sources of zinc and selenium [7]. Specifically, almonds appear to be a source of calcium [7]. Nut consumption seems to make significant contributions to health outcomes, even during infancy.…”

In Vitro Assessment of the Bioaccessibility of Zn, Ca, Mg, and Se from Various Types of Nuts

“…Numerous studies in the literature have assessed the levels of bioactive compounds in nuts [15][16][17]. Nevertheless, comprehension of the complete content of essential substances in food is insufficient to ascertain the beneficial or detrimental effects of its consumption on human health.…”