Oilseeds from A Brazilian Semi-Arid Region: Edible Potential Regarding the Mineral Composition.

Oilseeds from five native plant species with edible potential from the Brazilian Caatinga semi-arid region ( , , , , and ) were investigated regarding their mineral contents. The minerals, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Cr, Al, were analyzed by high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS AAS) and P by the vanadomolybdophosphoric acid colorimetric method. K, Mg, and P were the main elements found (1.62-3.7 mg/g, 362-586 µg/g, and 224-499 µg/g dry weight (dw), respectively). seeds contained the highest amounts of K and P, while seeds were the richest in Mg. Fe was the most abundant oligoelement (2.3-25.6 µg/g dw). Cr contents were below the limit of quantification for all samples and Al amounts were low: 0.04-1.80 µg/g dw. A linear discriminant analysis clearly differentiated and samples from the remaining ones. In sum, these oilseeds from the Brazilian Caatinga semi-arid region seem to have the potential to be used as natural sources of minerals, mainly K.