Elemental analysis of breads enriched with different spices

Abstract

This experiment determined the macro- and microelement content of the chosen spices, and investigated how they influenced the mineral content of bread enriched with spices. The variation in the elemental concentrations among the examined spices was quite large, which proved their heterogeneity as the resources of essential and non-essential elements. Parsley, oregano, marjoram and tarragon were typically the most abundant sources of calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, and sulfur, with lesser amounts of these elements in garlic, ginger and cinnamon. Microelement analysis showed that parsley had the maximum accumulation of various trace elements, such as aluminum, iron, copper, zinc, nickel and lead, as compared to garlic and cinnamon, which usually had low traces. Compared to a number of other spices, cinnamon had comparatively better levels of manganese, barium, and strontium. Adding the spices to bread had a great impact on the elemental profile of the bread. Spice enrichment was found to enhance the level of essential element including calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus in most cases than the control bread. This increase varied greatly depending on the particular spice, and the breads enriched with parsley, oregan-, and marjoram were found to have the most significant differences in mineral content. Nevertheless, the proportion of elements being transferred out of spices to bread was not necessarily constant, which implies that interactions of food matrixes and processing conditions influence elemental retention. Moreover, the concentration of non-essential, possibly toxic elements including aluminum, arsenic, lead, and barium were also influenced by enrichment with spices. There were spices that increased the levels of these elements in bread and in other instances, the levels did not change or rather the levels were lower than the control. This underscores the two nutritional and safety implications of fortifying spices. Altogether, the results indicate that spices may be good natural fortifiers to enhance the mineral content of the bread, especially essential nutrients. Nevertheless, spice raw materials should be properly chosen so that nutritional benefits could be attained without exposing people to harmful factors.