Elemental contents in exotic Brazilian tropical fruits evaluated by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence

The exotic flavor of Brazilian tropical fruits led to increased consumption. Consumers awareness regarding balanced diets, makes necessary determining nutritional composition - vitamins and minerals - of the fruits ordinarily consumed. This study contributed to the evaluation of macro (K, Ca) and microelements (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Br) in eight exotic Brazilian tropical fruits: "abiu" (Lucuma caimito Ruiz & Pav.), "jenipapo" (Genipa americana L.), "jambo rosa" (rose apple, Eugenia Jambos L.), "jambo vermelho" (Syzygium malaccence L., Merr & Perry), "macauba" (Acrocomia aculeata Jacq. Lood. Ex Mart.), "mangaba" (Hancornia speciosa), "pitanga" (Brazilian Cherry, Eugenia uniflora L.), and tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.), using the Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) technique. "jambo vermelho" and "macauba" presented the highest values of K concentrations, 1,558 and 1,725 mg 100 g(-1), respectively. On the other hand, Ca concentrations were highest in "macauba" (680 mg 100 g(-1)) and "jenipapo" (341 mg 100 g(-1)). The microelemental concentrations in these eight fruits ranged from: 0.9 to 2.0 mg 100 g(-1) for Mn, 3.9 to 11.4 mg 100 g(-1) for Fe, 0.5 to 1.0 mg 100 g(-1) for Cu, 0.6 to 1.5 mg 100 g(-1) for, Zn and 0.3 to 1.3 mg 100 g(-1) for Br. The amounts of macro and microelements in the eight fruits analyzed were compared to other tropical fruits and it was found that some of them could be classified as rich sources for these macro and microelements.