All vegetables and fruits contain important minerals, such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.
Fresh fruits and vegetables contribute about 26% of the magnesium and 19% of the iron to the U.S diet.
Fruit are generally not as rich in minerals as vegetables are. The mineral content is generally higher in organically grown fruits that have been raised in enriched soil without pesticides.
Minerals are basic components in secondary metabolic pathways that produce valuable phytochemical for normal human health.
Minerals are important for the various metabolic activities of the living tissue and even more so far the fruit, which exhibits tremendous activity during the ripening process.
The following fruits are important contributors to the supply of indicated minerals in the U.S diet:
Potassium: banana, peach, orange, apple, dried fruits such as apricot and prune
Phosphorus: banana, orange, peach, fig, raisin, grape, cherry
Calcium: tangerine, grapefruit, orange
Iron: strawberry, banana, apple, orange
Potassium is the most abundant individual mineral element in fruits. It normal varies between 60 and 600 mg per 100 g of fresh tissue. In fruits, potassium occurs mainly in combination with various organic acids.
Calcium is not only associated with preventing osteoporosis, but it also appears it have protective effects in some types of cancer, most recently colon cancer.
Mineral content in fruits
