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Speciation of essential nutrient trace elements in coconut water
Ghaya Alchoubassi1, Katarzyna Kińska1, Katarzyna Bierla1
1Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM UMR 5254, Hélioparc, 64053 Pau, France.
Coconut water contains bioavailable essential elements like iron, copper, manganese, and zinc. These elements form stable, low-molecular weight complexes, with concentrations varying by nut origin and maturity.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Chemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Coconut water (Cocos Nucifera) is recognized as a natural source of essential trace elements.
- Understanding the chemical forms (speciation) of these elements is crucial for assessing their bioavailability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the speciation of essential elements (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn) in coconut water.
- To identify the specific complexes these elements form within coconut water.
Main Methods:
- Size-exclusion chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SEC-ICP-MS).
- Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) coupled with electrospray-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (HILIC-ESI-OrbitrapMS).
- HILIC-ICP-MS was used to estimate the contribution of individual species to total elemental concentrations.
Main Results:
- Total element concentrations ranged from 0.2-2.7 ppm (Fe), 0.3-1 ppm (Cu), 3-14 ppm (Mn), and 0.5-2 ppm (Zn).
- Identified iron complexes include those with citrate, malate, glutamine, and nicotianamine.
- Identified copper complexes involve phenylalanine and nicotianamine, while zinc complexes are with citrate and nicotianamine. Manganese forms a complex with asparagine.
Conclusions:
- Coconut water provides essential elements in bioavailable complex forms.
- The specific elemental complexes vary based on the nut's origin and maturity.
- Advanced chromatographic and mass spectrometry techniques are effective for elemental speciation analysis in natural products.
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