Elemental composition of microstrobili and sprouts of <i>Pinus sylvestris, Pinus sibirica</i> and <i>Pinus pumila</i>

Abstract

In recent years, the popularity of dietary supplements based on pine pollen has significantly increased due to over a thousand years of its use in Chinese traditional medicine and diverse biological activity. Microstrobili are harvested prior to flowering in order to obtain pine pollen, and, following its separation, waste comprising empty microstrobili in the amount of 90–95% of the mass of raw material is formed. In this work, the elemental composition of Pinus sylvestris, P. sibirica and P. pumila microstrobili obtained following the separation of pollen (empty microstrobili (EM) was determined and compared with pharmacopoeial raw material, i.e., P. sylvestris sprouts. The elemental composition was analysed using atomic absorption spectroscopy with preliminary acid mineralisation in a microwave system. A comparative analysis of the elemental composition showed that EM contains a significant amount of K (8710–10187 mg/kg), Mg (627–1079 mg/kg), Mn (129–179 mg/kg), as well as Zn (37–67 mg/kg) and Cu (7.4–10.3 mg/kg). The series of accumulation of chemical elements was identical for microstrobili and sprouts of the studied pine species (K&gt;Mg&gt;Ca&gt;Mn&gt;Fe~Zn&gt;Na&gt;Cu&gt;Ni~Cr&gt;Co&gt;Pb&gt;Cd&gt;Hg). EM can be used to enrich the diet with macroand microelements such as K, Mg, Mn, Fe, Zn and Cu. The content of toxic Cd, Pb and Hg was below the maximum permissible standards for medicinal plant raw materials and dietary supplements thereof. Obtained for the first time, data on the elemental composition of EM of P. sylvestris, P. sibirica, P. pumila and sprouts of P. sibirica and P. pumila can be used for further sanitary measurements of a new type of raw material.