QUANTIFICATION OF MACROMINERALS AND ESSENTIAL TRACE METALS IN VIGNA ACONITIFOLIA GROWTH STAGES USING ICP-MS

Abstract

Vigna aconitifolia is the leguminous crop, known as moth bean, which is cultivated in areas where moisture availability is low. Moth bean is one of the pulse crops that have gained considerable attention in the agricultural domain since it contains multiple benefits for human consumption. Biofortification is one strategy for enhancing the nutritional value of pulses by enriching them with necessary mineral content. Hence, it becomes imperative to conduct studies regarding the concentration level of minerals in pulses. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analysed  the mineral content of Vigna aconitifolia (moth bean) at varying growth stages, i.e., unprocessed and processed moth beans, in microgreens form and cooked seeds of moth bean. Authors will apply ICP-MS technique for determining the mineral content in selected samples. Sample preparation involves drying the samples and analyzing their mineral contents. The outcomes of this paper include the determination of mineral content of Vigna aconitifolia (moth bean) in different growth and processing stages[1,2,3]. In case of microgreens, calcium increases from 1,550 ppm to 3,500 ppm, whereas potassium increases to 14,500 ppm. An increase in ion concentration could result from two reasons. Firstly, during the microgreens development period, water loss occurs due to the respiration process, leading to the formation of a gradient for pulling ions inside microgreens. Secondly, water loss might cause ion accumulation because of the precipitation of ions within cells. During the thermal process of moth beans (steamed moth beans), the ion concentration reduces from 9,000 ppm to 7,000 ppm for potassium ion. Trace divalent metal ions remain intact during thermal processing. Decomposition of seed coats causes the release of phytase in endosperm, facilitating the degradation of phytate compound in seeds. As a consequence, it enhances mineral availability in the seed. Comparison of mineral concentration in thermal-processed moth beans indicates higher mineral content in microgreens stage than in seeds.