Estimation of the Mineral Composition of Wild Jackfruit and its Comparison with Other Artocarpus Fruits

Impoverished nations are suffering from malnutrition due to a lack of access to nutrient-rich food. Lack of information about the nutrient rich endemic fruits is one of the major reason for malnutrition, rather than a real shortage. The present study focused on the estimation of the mineral composition of the fruit constituents of Artocarpus hirsutus Lam. by ICP-MS, followed by a comparative study of the mineral composition of A. hirsutus fruits with values obtained from fruits of other Artocarpus species. Of the estimated 16 minerals analysed, the flesh, seed and seed coat of Artocarpus hirsutus have a high amount of magnesium compared to other minerals (153.8, 148.8 and 128.6 mg/100g, respectively). Calcium (9.564 mg, 9.195 mg, and 4.69 mg respectively) and iron (6.03 mg, 2.815 mg and 7.77 mg respectively) are the two minerals found comparatively higher than other minerals. The content of heavy minerals such as vanadium, arsenic, cobalt, cadmium and mercury was very low, less than 0.005 mg/100g. A comparative study also shows that wild jackfruit contains a high amount of magnesium than other selected Artocarpus fruit species and hence can be recommended as a source of magnesium for the diet.