Macro-nutrients in edible parts of food crops in the region of Moanda, Gabon

Abstract

The assessment of nutritive foodstuffs quality is an important step in the estimation of dietary intake of metals. This study aimed to assess accumulation and the daily intake of macro-elements magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium in edible parts of plants grown in Moan-da area. The ranges of concentrations were 246-5645 mg/kg, 1167-35,105 mg/kg, 158-12,563 mg/kg and 88-795 mg/kg for Mg, Ca, K and Na, respectively. Mg and K levels were significantly higher in fruits than in tubers. The trend of accumulation in the edible parts of plants was generally: Ca > K > Mg > Na. The daily intakes of Mg and Ca were the highest and indicated food crops in Moanda had a good nutritive quality.