Dietary Intake and Content of Cu, Mn, Fe, and Zn in Selected Cereal Products Marketed in Poland

This paper aims to verify whether cereal products are a good source of Cu, Mn, Fe, and Zn in the diets of Poles. The study material comprised of 445 cereal products including baked goods, breakfast cereals and groats, pasta, and rice. Products that required culinary treatment (pasta, groats, rice) were boiled in drinking quality water as recommended by the producer. The content of Cu, Mn, Fe, and Zn was determined by using the FAAS method. The average content of microelements in the analyzed products can be represented as Fe (17.9mgkg(-1)+/- 10.3)>Zn (12.4mgkg(-1)+/- 5.2)>Mn (9.6mgkg(-1)+/- 6.7)>Cu (3.9mgkg(-1)+/- 2.9). Considering the daily requirement of the analyzed minerals among adult Poles, it was determined that cereal products supply 58% RDA Cu, 61% AI Mn (men)-78% AI Mn (women), 19% RDA Fe (women)-34% RDA Fe (men), and 16% RDA Zn (men)-22% RDA Fe (women). Baked goods account for as much as about 90% of all Cu, Mn, Fe, and Zn consumed as cereal products in a daily diet. Based on the results, it can be concluded that cereal products are the main source of Cu, Mn, Fe, and Zn in the diets of Poles. In connection with low assimilability of minerals, they should not be considered the fundamental source of those microelements in the diets of Poles.