Till Örebro universitet

This study focused on the elemental analysis of commercially available dried mango, fresh mango and its peel. The general method consisted of microwave-assisted digestion followed by quantification of the analytes through inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Four different digestion mixtures (nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide) were tested. Using statistical tools (Student's test) and chemometric analysis (principal component analysis, PCA), the results obtained via different digestion procedures were compared. It was found that there only concentrated nitric acid less efficient than combinations of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide for the given plant material.

The accuracy of the method was verified with certified reference materials (NIST SRM 1547 – Peach leaves and NIST SRM 1573a - Tomato Leaves).The most abundant elements in all samples were macroelements: K, Ca, Mg and Na. Regarding the essential microelements, Mn, Cu and Zn were most abundant. No significant difference in the mass fractions of the elements between the dried mango samples were found except for Na content, which is significantly higher in one sample. Fresh mango contained more Ca than commercially available dried mango samples, while the mass fractions of other macroelements are similar. The most abundant trace element in commercially available dried mango samples was Rb, while it was found in smaller amounts in the self-dried sample. All samples had mass fractions of Cd and Pb below the respective permitted values given by the European Food Safety Authority of these heavy metals in food, namely 0.05 mg/kg and 0.1 mg/kg.

Comparing the dried fresh mango and its peel revealed that mango peel after drying contains statistically significantly higher contents of Ca, Mg, Mn, and Sr. The most abundant potentially toxic element in all samples was Al, with the highest mass fraction in the peel.

In concluding dried mango is a good source of essential elements, especially Ca, K, Mg and Mn. Toxic elements such as Cd, Pb, As, which would pose a danger to human health, were not found in contents above the permissible level. The small amount of dried mango, which can significantly contribute to the recommended daily intake (RDA) of essential elements, and the high nutritional value make mango an excellent and healthy snack.