The vitamin and mineral content of fruits and vegetables grown in Israel

Abstract

Many countries of the world have serious problems in feeding their people, and Israel is no exception. In developing a sound programme for the food and nutrition of any country information on the composition of its home-grown foods is of particular importance. The chemical composition and nutritive value of foods produced in Palestine have been investigated by Kovacs, Guggenheim & Kligler (1939) and Guggenheim & Bichowsky (1948), but their reports are incomplete. We present here a report on the analysis of over 300 samples of fifty-four fruits and vegetables collected in Jerusalem between November 1954 and September 1956. The nutrients determined were carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, ascorbic acid, calcium, iron, sodium and potassium. Calcium and iron are the only two minerals for which specified dietary allowances are recommended and in which human diets are often deficient ((U.S.A.) National Research Council, 1953), but the importance of sodium and potassium in therapeutic diets has recently been recognized ((U.S.A.) National Research Council, Fruits and vegetables furnish considerable amounts of nutrients to the Israeli diet. During 1949-54, from 207 to 237 kg/head were consumed yearly (Lvavi, 1955). Among the vegetables, tomatoes come first, constituting from 23 to 29% of the annual vegetable consumption. Cucumbers (I I-14%) come next and then carrots (6-10%) and cabbage (6-8%). These figures compare favourably with those for other countries in the Near East. According to the Second World Food Survey (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1952) the annual supply of fruits and vegetables per head in 1946-9 was 124 kg in Egypt, 108 kg in Iran, IOO kg in Iraq, 207 kg in Syria and 185 kg in Turkey. '952, 1954). METHODS Samples. All samples were purchased in the open market in Jerusalem. They represent fruits and vegetables as bought by the ordinary consumer. No information as to the genetic history of the fruits and vegetables could be obtained. Most of them are, however, not truly native, but were imported during the last 60 years from Europe or the United States. Whenever possible, the samples were analysed a few hours after purchase. Some samples were stored for from I to 3 days at 2 ' before analysis.

Nutrient composition and antioxidant activity of eight tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) varieties

“…The composition of the tomato varieties analyzed here is similar, in qualitative terms, to that observed in other L. esculentum varieties examined in the literature (Halevy et al, 1957;Raffo et al, 2002;Premuzic et al, 1998). However, there are some important differences in the presence or absence of certain carotenoids, and in their relative concentrations, as well as in vitamin C amounts.…”

“…Other valuable nutritional components of tomatoes are several minerals and vitamin C, which were first studied many years ago (Halevy et al, 1957). These nutrients can vary largely depending on growing conditions.…”

The effect of grafting on the antioxidant properties of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

“…This fact could be considered as a good nutrient characteristic for each tomato variety analyzed here. For example, Halevy et al (1957) reported 210 mg kg -1 for generic tomatoes. However, total vitamin C content (i.e.…”

El tomate, ¿alimento saludable y/o funcional?

“…El contenido de vitamina C en diferentes cultivos de tomate varía en función de múltiples factores como cambios estacionales, intensidad, duración y calidad de la luz 85 , y según la variedad 75,86 , pero independientemente de la influencia de estos factores, los tomates son una buena fuente de vitamina C.…”