Plants as a natural source of concentrated mineral nutritional supplements

Edible plants enhanced with minerals were tested to determine whether these plants could be used as a new source of mineral dietary supplements that provide essential minerals in a more available form than current, inorganically based mineral supplements. A select cultivar of Brassica juncea was identified that can be cultivated under hydroponic conditions to contain high levels of nutritionally important minerals such as Cr, Fe, Mn, Se, and Zn. Sequential extraction, simulated gastric fluid digestion, and simulated intestinal fluid digestion were used to assess the degree of solubility and potential availability of each metal examined. Results from these solubility experiments indicate that the accumulated trace elements achieve greater soluble concentrations than those provided in popular mineral supplements. The consistent high concentration of minerals in the edible plant tissue allows processing small quantities of these enriched plants into capsules or tablets that supply 100% of the recommended daily intake of these elements in soluble form from a natural, vegetative source. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.