Effect of blanching time on selective mineral elements extraction from the spinach substitute (Tetragonia expansa) commonly used in Brazil

Abstract

SUMMARYThe true spinach does not grow well in warm climates and for that reason is not commercialized in Brazil. Instead, a spinach substitute , originally from New Zealand, is widely used in the country. There is scant information on the mineral profile and none on the soluble mineral fraction of this vegetable. The solubility of a mineral is one of the important factors for its absorption. For this reason, the calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, potassium, and sodium soluble fractions in the raw spinach substitute were determined and the effect of blanching times on the solubility of these minerals was investigated. Blanching times of 1, 5, and 15 minutes were employed. The magnesium, manganese, potassium, and sodium soluble fractions increased sizably with shorter blanching time. Longer blanching time (15 minutes) caused large losses of minerals. The soluble mineral fractions can contribute poorly to diet in terms of potassium, magnesium, manganese, and zinc. The spinach substitute cannot be considered a dietary source of calcium, iron and copper due to the insolubility of these minerals in the vegetable, possibly caused by the large oxalate content. spinach substitute; effect of blanching; mineral elements. , originário da Nova Zelândia, é amplamente utilizado. A informação sobre o perfil mineral é resumida e inexistente sobre a fração solúvel de minerais deste vegetal. A solubilidade de um mineral é um dos fatores importantes para sua absorção. Por esta razão, as frações solúveis de cálcio, magnésio, ferro, manganês, cobre, zinco, potássio e sódio foram determinadas no substituto de espinafre cru, e o efeito dos tempos de branqueamento na solubilidade destes minerais foi investigado. Tempos de branqueamento de 1, 5, e 15 minutos foram empregados. As frações solúveis de magnésio, manganês, potássio, e sódio, aumentaram consideravelmente com o menor tempo de branqueamento. Um período mais prolongado de branqueamento (15 minutos) causou perdas sensíveis de minerais. As frações solúveis dos minerais podem ter pequena contribuição para a dieta em termos de potássio, magnésio, manganês, e zinco. O substituto de espinafre não pode ser considerado como uma fonte de cálcio, ferro e cobre para a dieta devido à insolubilidade destes minerais no vegetal, possivelmente causada pelo elevado teor de oxalato.substituto de espinafre; efeito de branqueamento; elementos minerais. (Tetragonia expansa) (Spinacia oleracea) (Tetragonia expansa)Palavras-chave:

Effect of Traditional Pre-Culinary Hot Water Infusion Time on the Micronutrients and Health Protecting Phytochemicals in <i>Heinsia crinite</i> Leaf

“…This may be attributed to the leaching of these minerals into the infusion water that was discarded. This result is in agreement with the findings of other researchers [19][20][21] [21] for Hibiscus sabdariffa leaves boiled for 5 and 10 minutes and Kawashima and Valente [22] for Tetragonia expansa blanched for 1, 5 and 15 minutes. Considering the importance of minerals in the human body as the structural components and regulators of body processes [23], the result suggests that minimal hot water infusion time (5 min) should be adopted in reducing the bitter taste in H. crinita leaf in order to reduce mineral losses.…”

Food Safety of Consuming Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae: Microbial, Heavy Metal and Cross-Reactive Allergen Risks

“…Previous studies have also found the feed to have an influence on the heavy metal content of the larvae [17][18][19][20]. The frozen samples generally had higher concentrations than the blanched samples, and it is speculated that this is because some of the elements may have leached into the blanching water, similarly to what occurs when blanching vegetables [57,58]. Further research is suggested to determine exactly how much leaching occurs during blanching and how blanching time effects the various heavy metal concentrations.…”

“…Alternative decontamination methods have been proposed such a high-pressure pasteurizing (HPP) however, studies have found it less effective than blanching [49,55]. Blanching remains the best commercial tool available to reduce the microbial load of BSFL, although special consideration would need to be placed on the endospore forming bacteria to ensure they remain below legislated limits [12,49,[55][56][57][58]. Technologies, such as high-pressure pasteurizing in combination with a heat treatment can be effective in reducing bacterial spores, although it typically has poor consequences on the organoleptic properties of the food [56].…”

Disponibilidade de ferro, digestibilidade de proteína e teor de β-caroteno em formulados alternativos de baixo custo para alimentação enteral de idosos

“…Em estudo sobre os métodos de cocção e sua relação com o tempo de cozimento de vegetais fontes de ferro, verificou-se que a cocção provoca perdas de minerais e que o tempo de cozimento foi determinante nessas perdas, ou seja, quanto maior o tempo maior a perda (KAWASHIMA;vALENTE SOARES, 2005). Em estudo com macarrão enriquecido com ferro, verificou-se que, em processo de cozimento, o macarrão fica com 72% de ferro e que há perda no processo de cozimento (CARvALHO; SILvA; PARRA, 1997).…”