Major and Trace Minerals

CFE 1501: Fundamentals of Chemical

and Food Engineering

Raju Ahmmed
Assistant Professor
Department of CFE
DUET, Gazipur
Nature and Composition
minerals are inorganic substances
do not provide energy.
do not destroyed during food preparation
present 4 to 6 per cent of the weight of our adult
body (average 2 to 3 kg)
Major elements
• requirement is more than 100mg/day
• 90 per cent total mineral content of the body
• calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur,
sodium, chloride and magnesium.
Food:
Minor/trace elements
 requirements is less than 100mg/day
 about 10 per cent of the total mineral content of
the body
 iron, zinc, iodine, selenium, copper, manganese,
fluoride, chromium and molybdenum
Macrominerals: required in amounts of 100
mg/day or more
Microminerals: required in amounts less than 15
mg/day
Food:
General Functions of Minerals
• bones and Teeth Formation
• structural components of soft tissues
• maintenance of acid-base balance
• control of water balance
• contraction of muscles
• normal response of nerves to physiological
stimulation.
• clotting of blood.
• as components and co-factors of vitamins,
hormones and enzymes
Mineral Composition of Adult Body
Recommended Dietary Allowances
allowances for growth stages of life are higher per
unit body weight than the adult stage
iron absorption
may be as low as 5 per cent; calcium 20 per cent,
while sodium is absorbed almost completely
Absorption of mineral elements is favored
by-
• Body requirement
• Stomach acidity
• Form in which the mineral is present in the food
Food:
Absorption of mineral elements is reduced by-
• dietary components form insoluble complexes,
reduce their absorption
• excessive intake of other minerals
• mobility of intestinal track due to diarrhoea
• Parasites present in the intestinal tract
Toxicity: Can be toxic if-
• excess taken of iron pills or other nutritional
supplements
• exposures to toxic levels of chemicals
• errors are made in substituting supplements
Calcium
Body Composition and Functions
• total calcium in the human body is 1 to 1.5kg
• 99% is seen in bone and 1% in extracellular fluid
• involved in normal muscle contraction
• control of the transmission of nerve impulses
• maintenance of permeability of cell membranes
• help normal clotting of blood
• activate action of enzymes
• ensure the absorption of vitamin B12
• blood pressure regulation
Sources of Calcium
Recommended Dietary Allowances
Phosphorus
Body Composition and Functions
• total body content of phosphorus is 1 kg.
• bone possess 80 % of total phosphorus and
muscle contains 10 % of total phosphorus
• Builds and maintains teeth and bones
• Fat absorption and transport
• essential for genetic coding and protein synthesis
• essential for energy metabolism in the body
• maintain acid-base balance in the body
• carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism
Sources of Phosphorus
• Rich sources of phosphorus include milk, eggs,
flesh foods, legumes and nuts
• Many processed foods and soft drinks have added
phosphates
Recommended Dietary Allowances
Magnesium
Body composition and functions
• Bones and teeth contain 60 per cent of the
magnesium
• regulates muscle contraction,
• regulation of the transmission of nerve stimuli
• activates the function of many enzymes involved
in metabolism
• improves glucose tolerance
Recommended Dietary Allowance
• Children: 50-100 mg/day
• Adults: Females 220 mg/day
• male 260 mg/day

Source: The main source of Magnesium includes

cereals, beans, Wheat germs, wheat bran, nuts,
rolled oats, peanut butter, seeds, leafy vegetables
and fish
Potassium
• most common cause of potassium deficiency is
excessive fluid loss. vomiting, kidney disease, or
the use of certain medications such as diuretics.
• Symptoms of potassium deficiency: cramping and
weakness, constipation, bloating, or abdominal
pain caused by paralysis of the intestines.
• Severe potassium deficiency can cause paralysis
of the muscles or irregular heart rhythms that
may lead to death.
Potassium
Function
• Keeps fluids balanced in blood and tissue
• Helps in controlling blood pressure
• Allows nerves and muscles to work together

Sources: Milk, yogurt, bananas, papaya, sweet

potato, dark leafy greens, avocado, prune juice,
tomato juice, orange juice, lentils, beef, pork, fish,
nuts.
Sodium
• Most chloride is gained from salt (sodium
chloride), so deficiencies are rare.
• However, consuming too much salt is very
common due to the abundance of salt in everyday
food.
• Having too much salt is linked to an increase in
blood pressure (hypertension), which raises your
risk of a stroke and heart attack.
Sodium
Function
• keep the level of fluids in the body balanced.
• Chloride helps the body to digest food
• Works with potassium to regulate fluid and
acid/alkali balance.
• Responsible for nerve and muscle function.

Sources: Table salt, shellfish, seafood, cheese,

miso.
Iron
Total body content of iron is 3 to 5 gm out of
which 75 % is recorded in blood and rest of them
are recorded from liver, spleen, bone marrow and
muscle.
Deficiency: Iron deficiency anaemia poses a
serious threat to-
• ability of children to study and participate in
games,
• ability of women to face the stress of childbearing
and nursing
• ability of men to work satisfactorily
Iron
Function
• combines with protein for the development of
haemoglobin
• iron in haeme is to carry oxygen from the lungs to
the cells
• carry back some of the carbon dioxide formed, to
the lungs for exhalation
• essential constituent of many tissues (muscles)
• regulate oxidation-reduction reactions in the
body
Sources of Iron
Recommended Dietary Allowances
Iodine
small amount of iodine is required to keep our
body healthy
about 25 to 30 mg iodine in the body
 33 per cent iodine is present in the thyroid gland
 deficiency of iodine is marked by a swelling of the
neck with the enlargement of the thyroid gland
called simple Goitre.
Iodine
Function
• Essential component of the thyroid hormones
• regulates metabolic rate
• growth and promote protein synthesis.

Sources: Seafood, seaweeds, iodized salt.

Copper
• total human body contains about 100 mg of
copper and are encountered in muscle, liver, bone
marrow, brain, kidney, heart and in hairs.
• normal copper limit for human are 1.5 to 3
mg/day.
• from the total dietary copper only 10% are
absorbed.
• copper are mainly excreted through bile.
• the normal serum level of copper is 25 to 50
mg/dl.
Copper
Function
• required for brain and red blood cell function,
connective tissue synthesis.
• necessary for iron absorption and incorporation
of iron into hemoglobin.
• co-factor for vitamin C requiring hydroxylation
• increases the level of high density lipoprotein and
protects the heart

Sources: The main sources of copper are cereals,

meat, liver, nuts and green leafy vegetables.
Zinc
• daily requirement is 10 mg/day
• normal serum level in human is 100 mg/day.
• In the human total body, the content of Zinc is
2gm, out of which 60% is encountered in skeletal
muscle and 30% in bones.
• more than 300 enzymes in human body are zinc-
dependent

Deficiency in Zinc leads to poor wound healing,

lesions of skin impaired spermatogenesis,
hyperkeratosis, dermatitis and alopecia.
Zinc
Function
• Improves immunity and healing.
• Needed for healthy eyes, skin, nails for growth
and sexual development,
• For the activity of enzymes, for DNA and protein
synthesis.
Sources: The major sources of Zinc include grains,
beans, nuts cheese, meat and shellfish.
Consumption of more than 1000 mg /day leads to
zinc toxicity. Zinc toxicity leads to gastric ulcer,
pancreatitis, anemia, nausea and vomiting.
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