Multi-elemental Analysis of Wild Blueberry (Vaccinium Myrtillus L.) Fruits and the Soil of Its Growth from Gorski Kotar Region (Croatia).

Wild blueberry fruit is well known for its various benefits for human health. Inter alia, blueberries are rich in various macro- and micro-elements. In this work is a multi-elemental analysis of wild blueberry fruit samples that originate from Gorski Kotar region in the Republic of Croatia. Twenty-six elements (metals, metalloids and non-metals) were quantified by means of inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) after microwave-assisted acidic digestion of the fruit samples. The results reveal that blueberry fruits from Gorski Kotar are generally safe for normal daily (100 g per day) human consumption in terms of toxic element contents. In terms of macro-nutrients (Ca, K, Mg, P and S), the investigated blueberry fruit can be a valuable source of them. With regard to content of Na, it should be noted that this element was present in low mass fractions in the tested fruit that can be considered a positive characteristic due to general excessive exposure of humans to Na, which is known to pose risks to cardio-vascular health. Also, the samples of the soil where the fruits were harvested have been tested, too. The results show that most of the samples are not overload with toxic metal(loid)s. A few exceptions have been found in the sampling points that are exposed to human activities, such as traffic.